Edison lab photos

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

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

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 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: Spindle Drills: V8013-R

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

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