Off topic but very cool - Pratt University in Brooklyn, New York has its original steam-powered engine room intact. It was used for many years to generate electricity for this college. These generators are no longer used for power but they are still hooked up to the steam plant, so every once in a while they are powered up to keep them alive. The place is run by Conrad Milster, who has been the Chief Engineer there for many years. I first met Conrad back when I was in high school, right down the block. This past summer, and way too many years later, I went back for a visit and good old Conrad was still there. He gave us a tour and as these pictures show, this place is a fantastic example of this bygone era, when men were men and machines were iron and brass. Amazingly, this historic treasure has NO standing as a historic landmark, so it all could come down at any time. And, apparently, the new powers that be at the school are concerned about the asbestos that covers the steam pipes and is woven into all of the power cables in there, even though it is all intact. If they remediate this, this place might never look like this again, if it survives at all. This place is heaven for a guy like me. It is all antique electrical and mechanical. Brass and copper and iron. It smells of oak and warm oil. And all the machinery is exposed!!! (I want to SEE the machine; there is nothing better than a hot rod without a hood or a motorcycle.) Conrad was nice enough to start up one of the old engines. Took but a moment: open one valve to start a gravity oil feed to the bearings, and then the steam valve. To see that huge flywheel spinning true as can be, inches from where you're standing, smelling the steam and the oil, and hearing the sounds of the machine was simply amazing. Anyway, enjoy these pictures and if you find yourself in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, stop by for a visit. Afterwards, go to Junior's for a cheeseburger, pickles, a black-and-white ice cream soda and kick-ass cheesecake.
I cant believe anyone would ever think f getting rid of anything that cool and well taken care of....I mean...clapped out hazard....I can see, but something as perfect as that...a crime of history... Awesome, simply awesome...
i love the pics. thanks for sharing them.i know exactly how you feel about them. its a shame that america took so long to realize that we need to save our history. so many machines, buildings, big and small etc have been destroyed in the name of progress. i live in the south and when i cruise the far backroads i sometimes run up on a old country store, i like to get out and stand on the porch, eyes closed. i can go back in time and see the old cars and people milling around. i hate to open my eyes because i know what ill see when i do.sorry, starting to rant again. id love to see them old generaters or anything else like them. ken
Last year I decommissioned a turbo straight eight air start generator at the hospital I work at, it stands about 7' tall and 14' long, it was installed in 1972 and has 400 hours on it, 399 were on test. It can't be got out as its been built over. I have seen the bores and they still have the hone marks. This motor was used in tug boats and I dream of putting it in a big timber hydro plane. They are building a new hospital next door, when its finished I am out of a job but the old hospital will be turned into park land. I think my wife might object to that project, but how much fun would that be?
Wow, thanks for the look. I never knew that was there. I use to live on Campus(part time). I had warehouse space in Williamsburg for a short while, and my girlfriend lived on campus at Pratt. I would often stay there and always admired the old buildings. I had a 42 Beezer back then that I would lock it up to anything solid I could on campus. Great times... I never knew that was there, so cool. I love steam powered stuff, I have plans to build a steam donkey here at my house. I've collected a few pieces, hopefully someday soon. I also had a plan to build a steam car for Bonneville thinking nobody was up to this and I could beat all the records, hahahaa. Did a Google search and found out Sweden is way ahead of me. Hahahaaa. Killer pics, thanks. I gotta get over there and see this.
Here is an old time tractor and engine show a few times a year in Jacktown, PA put on by the Blue Mountain Steam Engine Assoc. (something like that). A portion of the electricity is made in the power house which houses a few really old (turn of the century) steam generators. The type with the huge flywheels & half the wheel is in the ground. They also have printing presses, steam shovels and Case tractor (looks like a locamotive on wheels), hit & miss engines, and neat old tractors. Every now and then a neat old car shows up as well. My dad and two sons love going and it is amazing to see these things run silently and do what they do. Really neat stuff. Unfortunately, the guys that worked on this stuff are dying out and the knowledge is going with them.
Truly neat stuff, thanks for posting! One of my favorites still, is the power house for the cable cars in San Francisco.
There is a big steam show here in the Shenendoah Valley and people come from all over with their old tractors and engines on the back of restored mack trucks. The swap meet'll bring tears to your eyes for sure. Best bunch of people. Got in one group to listen about lathe operation from back in the 30's. Some of those tractors are 9 or 10' tall, incredible pieces.
years ago i coulda had an early elevator cage that was really cool w/seat for operator,lights,and rails[hand] unreal craftsmanship,not to long ago i got booted from the dump for tryin to stuff a complete mini caroselle into my pickup[bigger than the coin opperated] i was some pissed when they made me unload it back into the pile.i did snag one of the five cast alum horses ,which is yard art today
WoW what an amazing place, such a shame you didn't post that in october before we came over to NYC for a visit,
When you see old pictures of NYC and see the steam rising out of manholes, it' s because ConEd, the power people, supplied steam to many buildings. Lots of big buildings had no boilers for heat, and even ran air conditioning on steam, somehow? I would guess at one time, this college might have had it's own powerhouse to provide steam for the whole place and also the generators. Probably now they are on the city steam.
Yes, I have seen that. Walked in at 2 am one night and asked for a tour. And got one! It was amazing.
Thanks for this post it brings back a lot of old memories to this old codger. Looks like teens or 20's generation equipment to me with those exposed windings generators. I retired out of the utility industry in 1986 but at one time worked in a power plant that was initially built in the 30's then expanded in the 40's again in the 50's and eventually torn down in the 80's. One of the plants I started at was built in 1946 and is still operating today. All those brass case gauges are heirlooms as well as all that switchgear. But you are so right about the asbestos I can speak from experience about that.
Yes, Con Ed sold the steam exhaust from their generating plants and it is piped around Manhattan to heat and cool buildings. That is still in place. The nice thing about steam is that you don't have to pump it. Pratt indeed once generated all their own electricity. It was DC at first and then they switched to AC - hence, the newer steam turbine and diesel generators in the pictures. They no longer generate power, but they still have their own steam generators. The steam lines to the old DC generators are intact. The electric lines to the switch panels are still there, but the panels no longer are connected to the mains. If they have to remediate the asbestos in the 100-year old cables that run from the generators to the switch panel, it could be a problem because of the way the lines are run under the floor. Apparently the new Dean of All Buildings wants the college 100% asbestos free, no ifs, ands or buts.
Got to work in several neat old plants over the years, most recently the old Winchester firearms powerhouse, which was torn down several years ago. Nothing I've seen looked as nice as this, hope some one with clout gets on the stick and saves this beauty before the suits at Pratt justify wrecking it.
Connecticut has some really beautiful old factory buildings. It is a shame most of them are empty or transformed into office buildings (where people who really don't produce anything work). We have lost way too much of our manufacturing capability. Next time we need to mobilize factories for a war effort, we can email our orders for tanks, planes and ammo overseas. Yeah, that'll work.
that is really awsome to see..it should be preserved..definetly I have seen the inside of a lot of old power houses in my line of work..steam generators, steam boilers, steam driven Turbines, and Hydro Driven Turbines..and may other types of older forms of power generation. It is a real shame that not too many people understand their value of our industial age history. Way too many times i have seen things get torn down that worked flawlessly and still would to this day. Yes they were antiquated..but thats the point of saving them. History. there used to be so much in the area I work in , definetly something to show your kids..and most of it is all gone to ruins or completely torn down and not even recorded for future generations..Sad. really hope that doesnt happen to this
Seems like by the time people start "getting it", it's gonna be too late. Good thing most hotrods are still made here. Hopefully with American tools.
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