Municipalities

[PA BEN]

so you do traffic signals Ben? how ya like that? lol, didn't know that some linemen did traffic signals as well lol.

If it's to hard for a narrowback it's just right for a Lineman.

[Hemingray Insulators]

If it's to hard for a narrowback it's just right for a Lineman.

haha in that case i got a few ?'s ya might be able to answer lol. ok, so i have seen the inside of a control cabinet like once lol. and on the contollers there was a big keypad and 2 computer like ports. do ya'll program them with a computer like PLC's or do you just use the keypad? as i dont have a clue what how they program them. and second of all so, the big round cables off the front of the controller with a LOT of wires, do those go to the conflict monitors at low voltage and the actual 120 is switched in the conflict monitors? cuz i saw some conflict monitors on ebay and it sounded like it was switched there and that it just got a low voltage signal to them lol.

also i'm guessing you guys are puting up LED lights? which you use GE or Dialight? lol.

you shouldn't have said you worked on traffic lights lol. now i have someone to aske questions to lol, as i have found i like traffic light stuff almost as much as linework since getting a few lol. note i said ALMOST as much...........not quite tho lol.

[markwho]

haha in that case i got a few ?'s ya might be able to answer lol. ok, so i have seen the inside of a control cabinet like once lol. and on the contollers there was a big keypad and 2 computer like ports. do ya'll program them with a computer like PLC's or do you just use the keypad? as i dont have a clue what how they program them. and second of all so, the big round cables off the front of the controller with a LOT of wires, do those go to the conflict monitors at low voltage and the actual 120 is switched in the conflict monitors? cuz i saw some conflict monitors on ebay and it sounded like it was switched there and that it just got a low voltage signal to them lol.

also i'm guessing you guys are puting up LED lights? which you use GE or Dialight? lol.

you shouldn't have said you worked on traffic lights lol. now i have someone to aske questions to lol, as i have found i like traffic light stuff almost as much as linework since getting a few lol. note i said ALMOST as much...........not quite tho lol.

At my workplace we have electricians that do most of the traffic signal work. They program modules by computer in the shop for field installation and do all the rebuilding from accidents. As a muni all our new installations are put out on bid and mostly done by union electricians. The toughest thing for them is parts, The "mentality" is to not order parts that are requested so they don't have them the next time they are needed! That includes keeping "a" spare led on the shelf, too expensive for our blood. We have one head up in the air that has three different types lighting in it ! So they have to make do with what they have. We do lamp replacement when bulbs burn out and digger derrick work for structure replacement due to accidents. I think we have about 3 different controller systems by different manufacturers on the property. So they have to know them all. Our electricians also do our substation work related to anything inside the building and yard, I.E. relay testing and calibration, feeder terminations, switching and all other maintenance. We have about 12 subs in the territory. They perform our fault locating and repair as well. They used to do all the urd also but the "mentality" refused to hire them some help so we assist now with tons of development coming in. We have one line crew who has been doing urd for 3 yrs ors so with a little overhead mixed in. Their department consists of 4 first class men and no apes in the pipeline, and they are all in their 40's except for their crew leader who is is 54 and looking to retire soon.

[PA BEN]

also i'm guessing you guys are puting up LED lights? which you use GE or Dialight? lol.

you shouldn't have said you worked on traffic lights lol. now i have someone to aske questions to lol, as i have found i like traffic light stuff almost as much as linework since getting a few lol. note i said ALMOST as much...........not quite tho lol.

Some of the lights are LED some are the old style. We have a traffic single Tec. (our narrowback elector inspector) who is trained to work and maintain the controls. I do know he uses a laptop at the control site. We do all the overhead work with our bucket trucks.

[Hemingray Insulators]

for answering the questions. ya, we got a contractor here that usually wins most of the city's traffic light bids, and they do just about everything from traffic and railroad signals, to fiber optics and building distribution lines and industril controls and a whole BUNCH of different stuff lol. its non union and fairly small contractor but in my class at the union hall that i have every morning the bussiness manager said they never buged them to become union, because the guy that owns it (who i know) pays all his guy well right around union scale, and treat them right, so i think like swamp...........non union is NOT bad, just a lot of them give the others a bad rep lol.

but ya, since i am not going to be 18 until like 3 months after graduation, the owner said i might be able to get on with them for a summer job doing traffic light stuff lol. now that would be fun lol.

[scammy]

if they treat ya right ,,,,ya dont need a union,,,,,if they force my hand ,then so be it ,,,,,,henrey ford was the greatest union organizer ever,,he wouldent even let his men on the assembly line take a piss,,,,scammy

[BigClive]

but ya, since i am not going to be 18 until like 3 months after graduation, the owner said i might be able to get on with them for a summer job doing traffic light stuff lol. now that would be fun lol.

Sounds like that would be an ideal company for you to start with. A good mix across the range of power distribution to electrical controls and probably even a bit of electronic level troubleshooting.

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

[ivanho]

I've worked for Munis. Co-Ops and IOUs.
For me I Like the life of a Co-Op hand, small ones anyway.
Because they don't have the luxurary of being departmentalized
Ex: meter dept. Substation dept. and so on.
So you get exposed to all aspects of your system..
I've met alot of lineman that did'nt know there way around a Sub.
or even how to check customers meters. Not their fault, they had never had the exsposure to any of this


______________________________________________

Watch your top knot!!!

[BigClive]

On the traffic light theme.... I had today off, so I was in the city centre and popped into a coffee shop for a cup of tea. I was sitting at the window watching the world go by and a traffic signal service company van pulled up and a guy jumped out, grabbed a set of aluminium steps out the back and started working on an illuminated "No left turn" sign.

This company like most of the others, doesn't employ many electricians. they just tend to use labourers to do the work with minimal training. This guy probably spends most of his time changing lamps, but in this instance it appeared to be more than the lamp and he started digging into the live wiring in the fixture.

I was watching him doing this with his aluminium steps on wet ground and his ordinary cheap working gloves and I was thinking about how it was almost inevitable that he was going to get a shock, when he suddenly jolted back from the fixture, paused briefly then clambered haphazardly down the steps and stood next to them shaking his hands while shaking visibly with a very surprised expression on his face.

I watched to make sure he was OK and he finally clambered back up his steps, poked the guts back into the fixture and closed it. He then went and sat in his van for a while before driving off.

I guess he'll be a bit less cocky around 240V next time!

The annoying thing is... If _I_ was caught doing electrical work on metal steps I'd get my ass kicked. Being an electrician I have to use the yellow fibreglass ones. Obviously that doesn't apply to non-electricians doing electrical work!

Ironically the guys working on the traffic lights are the ones most in need of insulated steps. (And decent gloves too.)

[neil macgregor]

On the traffic light theme.... I had today off, so I was in the city centre and popped into a coffee shop for a cup of tea. I was sitting at the window watching the world go by and a traffic signal service company van pulled up and a guy jumped out, grabbed a set of aluminium steps out the back and started working on an illuminated "No left turn" sign.

This company like most of the others, doesn't employ many electricians. they just tend to use labourers to do the work with minimal training. This guy probably spends most of his time changing lamps, but in this instance it appeared to be more than the lamp and he started digging into the live wiring in the fixture.

I was watching him doing this with his aluminium steps on wet ground and his ordinary cheap working gloves and I was thinking about how it was almost inevitable that he was going to get a shock, when he suddenly jolted back from the fixture, paused briefly then clambered haphazardly down the steps and stood next to them shaking his hands while shaking visibly with a very surprised expression on his face.

I watched to make sure he was OK and he finally clambered back up his steps, poked the guts back into the fixture and closed it. He then went and sat in his van for a while before driving off.

I guess he'll be a bit less cocky around 240V next time!

The annoying thing is... If _I_ was caught doing electrical work on metal steps I'd get my ass kicked. Being an electrician I have to use the yellow fibreglass ones. Obviously that doesn't apply to non-electricians doing electrical work!

Ironically the guys working on the traffic lights are the ones most in need of insulated steps. (And decent gloves too.)

ha ha! bet he wont do that again was he a contractr or council