It's cold and windy out, was sitting here marveling at the pictures of
the Thomas Edison Labs.

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...nj1222/photos/
Select the larger photos if you have broadband.

The descriptions are at
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...0/nj1222/data/

All the line shaft driven equipment, huge shapers, huge lathes. One
photo shows the time clock with 275 slots. Thats a big operation.
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112622pv.jpg

Main view of machine shop
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112609pv.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112611pv.jpg
Motors for the line shafts
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112615pv.jpg

Later pics are of the 2nd and 3rd floors.

RoyJ wrote:
It's cold and windy out, was sitting here marveling at the pictures of
the Thomas Edison Labs.
Totally cool! I went to East Orange about 10 years ago with my
family, and was apalled that the "national park" was CLOSED in
the entirety for a YEAR! We were able to walk past the shop
building on the outside and see just a little of what was
inside. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get back to
NJ since then.

Thanks for the photos!

Jon

On Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:59:23 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

RoyJ wrote:
It's cold and windy out, was sitting here marveling at the pictures of
the Thomas Edison Labs.
Totally cool! I went to East Orange about 10 years ago with my
family, and was apalled that the "national park" was CLOSED in
the entirety for a YEAR! We were able to walk past the shop
building on the outside and see just a little of what was
inside. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get back to
NJ since then.

Thanks for the photos!

Jon

And according to the National Park Service web site the laboratory is
STILL closed for renovatin.

Errol Groff

Errol Groff wrote:
On Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:59:23 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:


RoyJ wrote:

It's cold and windy out, was sitting here marveling at the pictures of
the Thomas Edison Labs.

Totally cool! I went to East Orange about 10 years ago with my
family, and was apalled that the "national park" was CLOSED in
the entirety for a YEAR! We were able to walk past the shop
building on the outside and see just a little of what was
inside. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get back to
NJ since then.

Thanks for the photos!

Jon


And according to the National Park Service web site the laboratory is
STILL closed for renovatin.
WhAAT? That is an outrage! First, it is an outrage they let
the site get into the state it apparently was in, where the
building were in danger of falling down due to water damage from
rotted out roofs, etc. But, it is also an outrage that such an
important site is left to continue falling apart.

Sheesh!

Jon

And according to the National Park Service web site the laboratory is
STILL closed for renovatin.
WhAAT? That is an outrage! First, it is an outrage they let the site get
into the state it apparently was in, where the building were in danger of
falling down due to water damage from rotted out roofs, etc. But, it is
also an outrage that such an important site is left to continue falling
apart.

Sheesh!

I drive within a mile of this place at least once a week... I just
mentioned to a friend how the building is still empty / unoccupied /
abandoned in that area. It's a HUGE complex for a relatively small town to
take care of... But considering it has national status and park's
protection, it should be fixed up pronto!

It's one heck of a project though... Don't let anyone fool you into
thinking it could be completed easily or quickly...

It is less than a mile frol slums as well as the most expensive housing in
Northern, NJ - Google "Lewellyn Park West Orange" sometime... Or see
http://llewellynpark.com/. Listing #4 in the classifieds real estate
section is a good friend of mine if you have a few pennies to spare.

If I didn't know the owner, I'd never have been able to get into the area to
even see the otehr homes, etc.

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

RoyJ writes:

Motors for the line shafts
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112615pv.jpg

The mechanical analog to a mainframe computer and time-sharing.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
RoyJ writes:


Motors for the line shafts
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112615pv.jpg


The mechanical analog to a mainframe computer and time-sharing.

So, are those DC motors, or AC. At the time the Edison/GE works
closed up and moved to upper NY state, I suspect AC was fairly
well entrenched. Anybody got better close-ups of those motors?

Jon

On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:31:52 -0600, Jon Elson wrote:
Richard J Kinch wrote:
RoyJ writes:
Motors for the line shafts
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112615pv.jpg
The mechanical analog to a mainframe computer and time-sharing.

So, are those DC motors, or AC. At the time the Edison/GE works closed
up and moved to upper NY state, I suspect AC was fairly well entrenched.
Anybody got better close-ups of those motors?

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...ata/nj1222.txt
says, regarding some picture in the set, "Center background shows two
forty-horsepower direct-current electric motors installed in 1904 to
provide power to two drive shafts for first floor machine shops."
and also "...platform holding two 40-horsepower electric direct-current
motors".

James Waldby wrote:
On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:31:52 -0600, Jon Elson wrote:

Richard J Kinch wrote:

RoyJ writes:

Motors for the line shafts
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...s/112615pv.jpg

The mechanical analog to a mainframe computer and time-sharing.

So, are those DC motors, or AC. At the time the Edison/GE works closed
up and moved to upper NY state, I suspect AC was fairly well entrenched.
Anybody got better close-ups of those motors?


http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/n...ata/nj1222.txt
says, regarding some picture in the set, "Center background shows two
forty-horsepower direct-current electric motors installed in 1904 to
provide power to two drive shafts for first floor machine shops."
and also "...platform holding two 40-horsepower electric direct-current
motors".

OK, thanks! Yes, in 1904 DC was still going strong.

Those flat belts would be scary to work around! I wonder how
many people got wrapped up in them?

Jon