For the past forever, the conductor rail on the electrified railways south of London (and on the Underground, for that matter) has been held up by insulating "pots". These consist of a metal part which holds the rail in place, on a ceramic base which provides height and insulation.
Only this morning I noticed two aliens under a conductor rail just south of London Bridge. Made entirely of plastic. Ewwwww.
I can see some advantages, notably they'll be under a quarter of the weight of the traditional insulators, and far less fragile. But all the same, it burns.
