Submitted via Joe Tedesco:

more:

Simply gorgeous!!

Can any of that stuff be saved???

I like that row of light fixtures down that passageway in picture #5. That panel and that generator are also awesome!

At least the building itself is being preserved. I hope they keep the space intact instead of putting in a drop ceiling and sheetrock over the walls...like I've seen done in a lot of similar ornate places.

Here in New York, there is one remaining independent power plant that is part of a school. The guy that runs it has been keeping it alive for over 40 years or so, using equipment salvaged from places like what you just photographed.

It's a living museum! I don't remember the name of the school at the moment, I will have to look it up next time I'm at the Barnes & Noble that I saw the picture book in.

WOW! That is cool! The architecture of the building is incredible.

This concludes your brief tour of the Library of Congress basement.

Note that the preliminary concept of potential feasibility study of proposed intermediate binary renovational drawing format cost a mere $24.9M.

joe, there is a old power plant in columbia s.c.that is a hydro plant that used too supply power to the old cotton mill, but now supplies some power to the city. it is owned south carolina electric & gas. they are very slow moving machines. not no where as old as these but just as cool!THANKS for some great photos.do they still use parts of it?hope they keep it as it is or turn it into a musseum.be nice to tour.

Sven:

The Pratt Institute maybe?

Love old switch gear, even the scary stuff, from the other thread. Still working after all these years.

I want some of those old meters!

TW

[This message has been edited by Trainwire (edited 03-20-2003).]

Awesome!

It would be a shame to see that destroyed, anyone coming into the trade should see this old equipment, amazing, and as Trainwire said very long lasting.

In picture 8 of the switchboard it looks like the conductors are already scrapped I would have liked to see how they where run.

Do you think anyone that worked here ever heard of PPE?

In older buildings the elevator controls are often still the original slate boards full of relays and contactors, it is great to watch and here them working.

[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 03-22-2003).]

This may be a nice cash cow for a remediation contractor. AVA and AVB wire insulation was used by the mile. Er, www.aic.org.uk

Richmond station Philadelphia? perhaps?

TW

Trainwire:

YESSS!!!! The Pratt Institute!

Thanks for triggering my irradiated brain cells!

I should go visit it some time

As far as the gagues, yeah...they sure give the place a real sci-fi look don't they?

Digital readouts just don't have the same panasche...

"As far as the gagues, yeah...they sure give the place a real sci-fi look don't they? "

Reminds me of the Krell lab in the movie
_Forbidden Planet_. There was a large long
panel of guages, each indicating ten times
more power than the one before.

"No wired connections that I can find"
Mobious says.

When the "monster from the id" was on a rampage, all
were lighting up indicating huge power
consumption.

Those pictures are absolutely great!
I just love old stuff like this.

WOW!!
Must have taken YEARS to wire all them panels.
There's nothing like an old building, they just built them so well, back then!.
Does anyone know, what the Output of that Generator is?.

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 04-12-2003).]

I have about the same thing if not older at the SONY studios here.
boy were those things built well!!!!!
6 generators that handle about 4,000amp DC
each and can still feed back to SCE for rebates.
ccdave

Hey, if they only use(d) part of this for a school, they could use/make bigggg money on bigggg field trips...

[This message has been edited by Theelectrikid (edited 09-19-2004).]

In addition to miles of wire, think of the tons of solder used to splice it all!

Beautiful pics....Thanks Joe!

Most of the equipment on the control panels doesn't appear to be all that old. I see a lot of Westinghouse (ABB)type CO overcurrent relays, a lot of GE type HGA auxiliary relays and GE type SB-1 control switches. All still used by the hundreds by my company. That stuff should be working 50 years from now. The surface mount equipment is mostly obsolete now as is the slate and granite panels. The panels had to be really sturdy to prevent movement which could cause inadvertent tripping of electromechanical protective relays. As someone mentioned the wiring in the old substations and powerplants was a work of art with every wire as straight as an arrow and meticulously tied into flat "bundles". No solder was involved. Some of the wire probably does have asbestos in it, but so far we've ignored it.

Were was this plant at? and what happend to all the old equipment?

Actually I know of Hydro on the colorado river that was operating with old switchgear just like in these pictures as of last summer 2004 and would still be working if it were not for a the automation of the plant which required massive upgrades, the place has same generators from 1903 all 4KV

It is apparently the Chester Power Plant, Chester PA.
http://www.peleast.org/RR_Fall_2002/14_chester.pdf

The architectural details match, and that plant was converted to offices.

Found whack of vintage pictures of the plant here: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hh:@field(NUMBER+@band(PA3680))

[This message has been edited by classicsat (edited 03-27-2005).]