Sacramento Northern used pantographs on freight locomotives but trolley poles on passenger cars. SN operated passenger trains at up to about 65 mph on catenary wire. SN did not install trolley frogs at switches on the main line to prevent bouncing the pole off the wire at high speed. SN ran a second wire out of the side track and then parallel to the main line wire for a short distance. Pantograph equipped locomotives could go in and out of the siding with no special action. However passenger car crews had to move the pole from one wire to the other if a passenger car was going into or out of the siding. In some cases they were able to move the pole while the car was coasting at slow speed without stopping the car.

Pantographs on SN passenger cars were used only on Key System track since most was not equipped for trolley pole operation.