What is the oddest machine you have worked on or operated

[EdwardL]

In the early 1970s I was an operator in a 1912 era hydro plant. It had 3 generators with 60 cycle and 25 cycle rotors on a shaft and external exciters. When built it was co-owned by the new England Power Co and the railroad. the 25 cycle generation was used to power electric engines that pulled trains through the Hoosick Tunnel connecting New England with New York.

I wasn't there, but it was the first station to come on line in the 1965 north east blackout. It was designed so that the station batteries could be used to create a field in one generator, then the other generators could be started. When it was up, it powered the station service for the big steam plant in eastern Mass, and brought the grid back up.

Everything in the plant was in the open, so you could see and learn how it was built. It taught me about hydro power technology in a way that I never lost. My last job before retirement was re-writing instructions for a 1000 mw pumped storage plant in Georgia. The instructions they had were convoluted and wordy. I started with their 3200 pages, and when I was done re-writting and updating, they had 1800 pages that people could understand. It took 14 months. The first experience in that 1912 plant let me visualize things buried in concrete and hidden in metalclad switch gear.

 

[ArlyA]

In the early 1970s I was an operator in a 1912 era hydro plant. It had 3 generators with 60 cycle and 25 cycle rotors on a shaft and external exciters. When built it was co-owned by the new England Power Co and the railroad. the 25 cycle generation was used to power electric engines that pulled trains through the Hoosick Tunnel connecting New England with New York.

I wasn't there, but it was the first station to come on line in the 1965 north east blackout. It was designed so that the station batteries could be used to create a field in one generator, then the other generators could be started. When it was up, it powered the station service for the big steam plant in eastern Mass, and brought the grid back up.

Everything in the plant was in the open, so you could see and learn how it was built. It taught me about hydro power technology in a way that I never lost. My last job before retirement was re-writing instructions for a 1000 mw pumped storage plant in Georgia. The instructions they had were convoluted and wordy. I started with their 3200 pages, and when I was done re-writting and updating, they had 1800 pages that people could understand. It took 14 months. The first experience in that 1912 plant let me visualize things buried in concrete and hidden in metalclad switch gear.

I did some work in the Fort Randall dam on the Missouri River in SD.
Most of the work we did was on the gates in the island seen here.

 

[EdwardL]

those gates in the center look like the intake for the 8 generators. Do I have that right?

 

[ArlyA]

those gates in the center look like the intake for the 8 generators. Do I have that right?

I would guess that is correct. I was also was in the surge tanks and penstocks which were 22ft diameter. Big tubes they were! If anyone cares I do recall some stores told by the powermaster while working there.

 

[EdwardL]

Surge tanks provide a place for the water running through a penstock to go when a unit trips, vs. being shut down normally.

 

[Joel/ak]

We sold an old catering truck to a roofing company once. They loved it to get bundles and supplies up on the roof.

Their are a few auction sites for GSE equipment

 

[Dennis Mohn]

What you laughing at?

I did something similar using my steiner for moving my camper around. Sitting on the prim-mover makes it easier to steer into very tight slpaces.

 

[SmallChange]

I helped design and worked with a supercritical carbon dioxide extractor. It could dissolve substances out of objects without them ever getting wet, and had a chamber about the size of a home washing machine interior. It operated at 10,000 psi. The plug closing the chamber was held in with a single, enormous nut. The plug had three million pounds of force trying to push it out during operation.

 

[MossRoad]

I did something similar using my steiner for moving my camper around. Sitting on the prim-mover makes it easier to steer into very tight slpaces.

I thought maybe you were laughing at the pic thinking it was photoshopped with the front axle missing. I get that a lot.

 

[MossRoad]

I helped design and worked with a supercritical carbon dioxide extractor. It could dissolve substances out of objects without them ever getting wet, and had a chamber about the size of a home washing machine interior. It operated at 10,000 psi. The plug closing the chamber was held in with a single, enormous nut. The plug had three million pounds of force trying to push it out during operation.

On helicopters they call the nut holding the rotors on 'the Jesus nut'....

If it comes off, you're going to meet Jesus.

Jesus nut - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org