1905 Power Plant Switch House

[Mbrooke]

Does anyone know how the switch house in the following video worked? Was power from the plant directly fed into this and then distributed radially through out the city or did the plant feed into a power grid and the switch house was merely a substation with transformers tapping off the grid?

I haven't seen something exactly like this so its rather fascinating.

https://youtu.be/Pzj0zv4zhX8?t=1355

 

[jraef]

Despite the kid in the video calling everything he saw on the lower floors a “transformer”, I saw no evidence of transformers, those were all bus sectionalization systems and circuit breakers. So I would say this was basically just a 13.2kV switch yard in vertical form.

“Retired in place, 1984. Wow, that’s been out of use for a long time...”
Made me feel old.


" We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know." -- W. H. Auden

 

[Mbrooke]

Yahh, bus sections and circuit breakers. You can see a new substation next door to the switch house with air insulated equipment.

 

[unclebob]

At 23:54, old 1- phase Westinghouse oil breaker, rated at 15 kV, 1200 Amp. We still have some 3-phase model over here. Oil gauge at bottom left. Just indestructible.
All copper is gone.

 

[cranky108]

I have seen a working 1920's power plant, that generates at 6.9 kV, and no step-up transformer.
(No I did not click on the video).

For today, the 6.9 kV is close enough to the 7.2kV system. The only transformers needed are the station power, and PT and CT's.

What was replaced was the switchboard, protection, breaker, and exciter controller.
They kept the slate switchboard as a display. (no it is not open to the public).