SEATTLE -- Some Beacon Hill residents say the city's new light rail train has cost them their prize gem -- a view of the Seattle skyline.

Problems began when new power lines were installed last week. The new additions are double the size of the older ones.

At first Nick and Marilyn Papini couldn't believe the sight of the new wires.

"My heart sank when I saw this," said Marilyn Papini. "It's like a big scar."

For more than 50 years, the couple has enjoyed a picturesque view from their home. In one afternoon it was taken away.

The Papinis called Seattle City Light and asked crews to come see for themselves what they'd done. One manager agreed the power lines don't look good.

"There's no question it's an impact, yeah," said the manager after doing an on-site visit.

But he claims city light was under orders to put them up by Sound Transit.

"(They said) Nickels is doing a big push for the opening of light rail," said Nick Papini.

The grand opening for Sound Transit's light rail train is scheduled for Saturday, and the newly-installed lines will help power it. Nick Papini heard city light crews were under the gun to get them ready.

"They said, 'We've got a big push for this Saturday, so, like, get out of the way,'" he said.

But the neighborhood claims Sound Transit never warned them the lines were going up in the first place, or what they'd look like.

That seemed strange to Dulcie Claasen, who said Sound Transit has always notified her about every single one of its light rail projects in the past.

"We get like a monthly newsletter," she said.

But even Claasen didn't receive any notice on the wiring project.

"No, absolutely not. No, nothing, which makes me very suspicious," she said.

Because if they had been notified, residents said, the whole neighborhood would have protested.

"This didn't even allow us to be proactive. This just basically hood-winked us," said Nick Papini.

"It's because they knew what would happen," Marilyn Papini added.

KOMO News contacted the mayor's office, who passed on the message to Seattle City Light. The utility referred questions to Sound Transit. And a spokesperson said Sound Transit has a policy that requires crews to notify residents of any work being done in the area.

But Sound Transit refused to comment on the specific case of the wires as it has not yet had a chance to look into the matter.