When a troubleshooter discovered that a 21kv main line switch in downtown Sacramento wasn’t closing correctly, a line crew from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District was called in to maintenance the switch and get it operating correctly. The crew consisted of linemen Rorry Malia, Justin Bates, and Paul Duncan, pre-apprentice Leif Boyd and foreman Lucas Raley.
“They found that the operating rod up at the bell crank was either loose, or it wasn’t installed correctly,” explained line crew foreman Lucas Raley. “So they were able to adjust that, and then minor adjustments at the handle were able to get a full close in order to engage the arc snuffers, at the load break portion of the switch. And now it’s fully operational.”
Photos by John Storey
Lucas Raley, SMUD Foreman, 2016
SMUD maintenance crew, Left to Right: Perry Malia, Justin Bates, Leif Boyd, Paul Duncan, and Lucas Raley.
SMUD linemen Paul Duncan, (in bucket on the left), and Justin Bates, (in bucket) and Rorry Malia, (on pole), 2016
SMUD linemen Paul Duncan, left, and Justin Bates, 2016
SMUD foreman Lucas Raley, left, and pre-apprentice Leif Boyd, 2016
Rorry Malia, SMUD Lineman, 2016