POWERGRAMS

6 Moving power transformers as tall as a giraffe and three times as heavy as Birmingham's Vulcan statue requires special knowledge, experience and good old-fashioned know-how. Can the roads handle such loads? Are there overpasses that have to be bypassed? Are there utility lines along the way that need to be moved? Can the bridges support the weight of such loads? Is there room to maneuver the equipment? There are many factors that must be considered in transporting large equipment safely. Answering those questions is the work of the Alabama Power Heavy Haul Team. Whether it is a scheduled maintenance, new construction or an emergency replacement, the team has to be ready at a moment's notice to work out complicated logistics and get the needed equipment in place to provide power to customers. "We have to be ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week in case of an emergency outage," said Doug Bischoff, Supply Chain Management transportation supervisor, who leads the five-person Heavy Haul Team. "The whole Alabama Power system is built on our ability to move this equipment." Heavy Haul was formed in the 1980s when Alabama Power leaders determined it would be more effective and efficient to handle most moves of major equipment in-house rather than by contracting for such services. Some equipment the team handles has to be moved by rail, then offloaded and trucked to where it is needed. Last year, Heavy Haul coordinated the movement of a 300,000-pound transformer from the Greenville Transmission substation to the East Enterprise Transmission substation. The transformer was loaded and hauled about 11 miles to a rail in Greenville, where it was loaded on a train. It was offloaded in Enterprise and slowly trucked another 15 miles to the new destination. Bischoff said there are many details that have to be coordinated to successfully pull off this type of move. "It can look like a small parade when we're moving some of these large pieces of equipment through town," Bischoff said. "We've joked that we just need to get some beads and Moon Pies and treat it like Mardi Gras." Only when loads exceed Heavy Haul's equipment capacity is the work outsourced. Even when the hauling is outsourced, Heavy Haul coordinates the project. The railroads, the industry track, the railcar lease, the other utilities, the cities, county and state departments and the company's own crews have to be managed. After nearly 30 years in operation, the Heavy Haul Team has built a great working relationship with the Alabama Department of Transportation. This connection gives Heavy Haul the ability to move large transformers as necessary day or night. "We only do what we have permission to do," Bischoff said. In 2014, the Heavy Haul Team moved: • 94 transformers • 30 mobile substations • 16 switch fuses • 11 breakers • 19 regulators • Many miscellaneous loads. "Heavy Haul is as committed to the company as any group I know," said Alan Arrington, manager of the Materials Distribution Center and Transportation Department. "Weekends, holidays, night and day, they have to be ready to move at a moment's notice." While it is impossible to plan for every emergency, Heavy Haul does as much pre-positioning and planning as it can. Bischoff said the work is often challenging, but it is also rewarding. "Knowing what we do makes a difference, makes all the sacrifices worth it," he said. But Bischoff said they can't do it alone. "The Heavy Haul Group is one piece of the puzzle," he said. "Construction, Maintenance, Design, Fleet and other departments play a major role in the success that we have had throughout the years. We work closer now than ever before. We have to in order to be successful as a team." While they can have fun with their work, the Heavy Haul team is focused on safety. "Since Target Zero started, we've been perfect," Bischoff said as he looked for a piece of wood to knock on. "This is what I am most proud of." By Mike Tomberlin Heavy Metal POWER TO ALABAMA SMALL GROUP CARRIES SOME OF COMPANY'S BIGGEST LOADS Sixty-ton perimeter-deck specialized lowboy was used to transport 103,000-pound transformer. Howell Tubbs, Jonathan McQueen, Pam Glass, Carl Caudle and Bischoff Photos by Nancy Prater

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