We could not travel at the speed we do, nor operate the long and heavy trains, without being able to regulate their movements perfectly and instantly. The Westinghouse brake is the device by which the end is gained. Wherever there are railways you will find this brake...
He organized an engine-building company, built steam engines, gas engines, and was the first man in the United States to undertake seriously the development of the steam turbine. He acquired the Parsons turbine patents for America. He organized an incandescent lamp company, the Nernst Lamp company, and a company for manufacturing the Cooper-Hewitt lamp.
the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company were the largest machine shops in the world- building Niagara generators, motors for electric cars, and powered the trains in the New York subway.
Having shown the world how to stop a train, he next undertook to show when to stop it. He invented signaling systems and formed a company to manufacture them.
He organized an engine-building company, built steam engines, gas engines, and was the first man in the United States to undertake seriously the development of the steam turbine. He acquired the Parsons turbine patents for America. He organized an incandescent lamp company, the Nernst Lamp company, and a company for manufacturing the Cooper-Hewitt lamp.
the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company were the largest machine shops in the world- building Niagara generators, motors for electric cars, and powered the trains in the New York subway.
In the early days of railroading braking was accomplished by the rear and head brakemen climbing to the top of moving cars, jumping from car to car, turning the handbrake wheels on each car after hearing the engineer whistle a signal to have brakes applied. When the engineer decided he had enough braking he would whistle off with another signal, calling for brakes to be released, at which point the brakemen would loosen the handbrake wheels. Needless to say, a railroad brakeman’s life expectancy was not optimal. The next shot at braking involved a direct pressure method, by which brake shoes were pushed against rolling wheels by means of direct air pressure. The problem with this method was that in the event air hoses between any two cars became separated the system became open, and any air from the locomotive compressor would simply flow out the open air hose without any pressure being applied to the brakes. The net effect of such a scenario was a runaway train with no brakes. George Westinghouse remedied all of that with his invention of the triple valve, the heart of rail car air brakes today. It’s a rather complicated device that’s placed on just about every piece of rolling stock in the country that allows the engineer to set up and release brakes from his control stand.
ReplyDeletewell, it's been a while since I have seen a comment from you, where'd you go? Have you been ok, or have my posts just not piqued a comment?
DeleteBeen on a little sabbatical.
DeleteI hope it was a vacation type that was very satisfying!
DeleteI'm a little late here but I spent 17 years at Westinghouse Steam Turbine near Philly. The first 8 years programing numerical controlled lathes 35 feet long and The Stub Bar which was a horizontal boring machine that cut 45 to over 150 inch diameters. Yes big stuff.
ReplyDeleteLegend was he invented the air brake after his sweetheart took a tumble when the railcar hit something. It brought him the money to team up with Tesla to bet on AC vs Edison's DC electricity and won.
Unfortunately near the end of the 20th century the bastards controlling the company abandoned making stuff to get rich in broadcasting. Group W, CBS, Viacom.