Alan Drew, Author of The American Lineman, Retired SVP of Research & Development at NLC
Since the beginning, American lineworkers have enjoyed demonstrating their skills and competing with each other. An example of this occurred in Chicago, Illinois, in 1915 when three “line gangs” (line gangs was the term used for today’s line crews) from Commonwealth Edison squared off in competition at an annual company outing. In attendance were more than 1,000 employees and their families, all anxious to watch the event.
The three participating line gangs were determined by prior competitions between line gangs in each of the three operating divisions of Commonwealth Edison. The same competitive event that was used for determining the finalists would be used at the outing. The event consisted of installing a transformer and providing a service to a simulated customer’s lighting load. Each gang consisted of a foreman, two linemen, and a groundman. The foreman was to supervise the work but not perform any physical tasks. Each member of the winning gang would receive the sum of one dollar. A bonus payment was available for each gang member of the winning team if the gang completed the project in less than 20 minutes. The payment would be tabulated based on one cent for each second under 20 minutes.
Event Setup and Tasks
Prior to the event, a single-phase, 4,160 V pole line with 8-ft crossarms was installed and energized. A horizontal wood service board was attached to three poles to simulate a point of attachment for providing customer service. Three service outlets were installed, and their load-side wiring connected to a group of lights that were readily visible on the top of the platform.
The event started with each line gang aboard their line truck parked a short distance from their assigned poles. When the commence signal was given, each crew headed to their pole with their trucks to begin the work, which included the following tasks:
- Cut a gain and bore a hole for the buck arm.
- Install the buck arm, braces, and cutouts.
- Hang a 5 kVA transformer connected to provide 120 V service.
- Install a secondary rack and run a two-wire service to the customer termination at the service board.
- Connect the service to the customer’s wiring by soldering and taping the connections using a ladder at the customer service board.
- Connect the primary and secondary sides of the transformer, soldering the secondary leads to the service.
- Install and connect a ground wire.
- Close the plug cutouts, energizing the transformer and service.
- Ensure the light switched to “on” to confirm successful completion.
Rules
- Any failure to complete the job in accordance with the company’s standard practices was to result in a three-minute penalty.
- Any violation of a company safety rule would result in the disqualification of the gang.
Winners
The results of the contest were:
- Northern District, Foreman Liesberg—15 minutes, 49 seconds (including a 15-second penalty for spilling solder). Each gang member received one dollar plus a bonus of $2.51 for completing the project 251 seconds under 20 minutes.
- Southern District, Foreman Neilly—16 minutes, 30 seconds.
- Central District, Foreman Crawford—18 minutes, 44 seconds.
This exciting event was the showcase of the day and thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance. H. E. Wulfing, superintendent of the Overhead Division, was sure to note how proud he was of all the gangs and could see that each had increased his skills as a result of the competition.
Today lineworkers showcase their skills and teamwork by competing in various lineworker rodeos across the country. This is yet another place where the lineworker profession gains the important status it deserves. NLC encourages employers and their lineworkers to participate in these rodeos whenever possible both to showcase what they already can do, and to improve those skills along the way.
The Handline Magazine
This story was originally published in Northwest Lineman College’s The Handline Magazine, Winter 2021 issue.
