Biography:
·
Genesis in the
Niagara frontier, Buffalo, upstate New York where I resided for 21
years…………………………………………………
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The effect of
living in the Niagara frontier and its influence on my
development…………………………………………
·
Economic and
Social Changes, Industrial Development…………………………………………
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Finally, travel
to far away places…………………………………………………
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In
the words of its architect, John J. Wade, City Hall “expresses primarily the
masculinity, power, and purposeful energy of an industrial community.” Wade, who studied architecture at the
Beaux-Arts Institute in New York, admired greatly the romantically futuristic
visions of skyscraper cities drawn by Hugh Ferriss. In City Hall’s soaring mass and dramatic nighttime lighting he
embodied essential elements of Ferriss’s architectural fantasies. One
of the outstanding Art Deco public buildings in the country, City Hall is
appropriately decorated. Above the
eight giant columns of the figures represents aspects of the city’s cultural
and economic life. The bronze doors
of the entrance bear symbols of the Indian tribes who once inhabited the
region. |
At the corners of the building stand bronze statues
by Bryant Baker of Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, the two U.S. Presidents
who came from Buffalo. And high above
the square the brightly colored roof of the central tower glitters day and
night, a festive crown for the Queen City of the Lakes.
Kleinhans Music Hall Symphony Circle, North Street at Richmond Avenue Architects: Eliel and Eero Saarinen, F.J. and W. A. Kidd Acoustical consultant: Charles C. Potwin Named
by Edward Kleinhans as a memorial to his wife, Mary Seaton Kleinhans, and his
mother, Mary Livingston Kelinhans, the music hall has one of the first important
American commissions on which Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero
collaborated. It was also one of the
few such buildings erected during the Depression years. The curving shapes of the exterior, which
faithfully reflect interior volumes, look forward to Eero’s later
architecture, while the clean lines and careful craftsmanship, evident on the
interior, hark back to the elder Saarinen’s devotion to Arts and Crafts
ideals. Originally, the east end
facing Symphony Circle was mirrored in reflecting pools which have now been
filled in. Inside the music hall, the orphic form of the flaring,
wood-paneled auditorium gives almost literal embodiment to Schelling’s
contention that architecture is frozen music. |
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The Saarinens’ concert hall quickly gained renown
for its acoustical excellence and became a place of pilgrimage for architects
and acoustical engineers from all over the world. Many post-World War II concert halls show its influence, notably,
Festival Hall in London (1951).
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New York Central Terminal, 1929 – Memorial and Paderewski Drives Architects: Fellheimer
and Wagner Vaulting: Rafael Guastavino Company |
For
its size, the city of Buffalo possessed a remarkable diversity of
architectural masterpieces from the late 19th and early 20th
century. The context of building
the city of Buffalo was within a citywide park system including broad tree
lined parkways designed by a world-class architect Frederick Law Olmstead. In
addition the city and its environs are represented by other world famous
architects-Eero and Eliel Saarinen who designed Kleinhans Music Hall. |
Marcel Breuer, Paul Rudolph,
Frank Lloyd Wright and the firm of Skidmore Owings and Merrill. All of this was in no small part due to the
enormous wealth created by industrial development which in turn was due, in
part, to two great waterways, i.e. Erie Canal and Lake Erie as only an industrial
fresh water port, (no beaches!) which handled he mighty steel industry with
coal, limestone, and iron ore. Buffalo
became one of the largest flour milling centers in the world with great lakes
freighters disgorging enormous quantities of wheat and other grain products for
further processing. The city had over 13 major grain elevator sites.
The development of railroads
with Buffalo acting as a major hub for the New York Central, Pennsylvania,
Erie, Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Nickel Plate, and many subsidiary lines owned
by the major railroads. With direct
connections to other great eastern and midwestern cities, such as Chicago, and
Saint Louis. No fewer than 5 homes and
the world famous Larkin building were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
For a fascinating and
thoroughly researched book, refer to: Buffalo Architecture, I.Banham, Charles Beveridge, Henry
Russell Hitchcock MIT Press (1982),
Cambridge Mass.
Grain Elevators
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Grain elevators on the Buffalo
River |
Great Lakes Freighters unloading
at Grain Elevators |
Trains
It all started with model
railroading and my love of trains has never left me. What probably catalyzed
our fascination with railroads was the good fortune of growing up in a city
where more than six railroads had operations, some major, and some minor…. it
was not the lure of travel, because we were real homebodies, but all my
childhood friends “got the bug” and became avid devotees of model railroading
first and then it had to be the “real thing.”
They say, adult train fans always identify with the railroads of their
childhood, Wow, is that ever true!
We were just a few blocks
away from a major trunk line of the New York Central System at the magic age,
the metamorphosis from steam power to diesel power, 1950, I was all of 13. What my friends and I witnessed was a
revolution in railroading the transition from steam to diesel in front of our
eyes.
There are a number of
pictures I wish to share with the reader of the various classes of steam
locomotives beginning with the magnificent J 3a 4-6-4 Hudson (New York Central)
with a pedestal tender.
The Hudson’s pulled both
freight and passengers and they were designed in a streamlined version and a
conventional version. Sadly, I never
saw the most magnificent of the passing era steam locomotives, the Niagara a
tribute to design, engineering, and probably the most efficient use of steam
power for passenger and heavy freight service on the New York Central
System. But I have collected a number
of pictures of this magnificent machine in all its glory.
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J 3a 4-6-4 Hudson (New York Central) with a pedestal tender. |
A Streamline Hudson pulling the 20th Century
Limited. |
GENERAL MOTORS
SERIES
Alas, came these diesels and
how our gang got to know every single model in our heads, which I still
remember today. There were five majors, which we saw almost on a weekly basis,
all in freight service some went roaring by accelerating with the roar which
literally shook the earth beneath our feet and sent chills up our spines, a
combination of fear and some unknown thrill beyond description today, I can
paint that very feeling in words. How many of you have ever been to a USAF show
where a B-29 Superfortress went over your head at treetop level? Now describe
the feeling in words and you’ll know how we felt.
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By far the most abundant
was the GM (General Motors) E-7, E-8, and E-9 2500 supercharged
horsepower pictured to the left. The
top picture is a side view of a nearly new E-8 June 1951. Each E-7 and E-8 had two V-12 567
horsepower 2 cycle diesels and two of everything else that the engine
needed. |
Fuel capacity was 1200
gallons; water for the train heat boiler was 950 gallons, 16 cubic feet of
sand, 330 gallons of lubricating oil for two engines and a total cooling water
of 400 gallons. Trucks on both E-7 and
E-8 were A1A, the middle axle being an idler only, not power.
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Location of Parts – General Motors 2,400-Hp., E9 passenger locomotive, A unit
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*Modifications |
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Location of Parts – General Motors 2,400-Hp., E9
passenger locomotive, B unit 1.
Engine—model 12-567-C 2.
Main generator & alternator 3.
Generator blower 4.
Aux. Generator 5.
Control cabinet 6.
Air compressor 7.
Traction motor blower 8.
Hand brake 9.
Fuel tank vent & flame arrestor 10. Lub. Oil filler 11. Lub. Oil cooler 12. Engine water tank 13. Engine control &
instrument panel 14. Load regulator 15. Fan & motor |
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16. Radiator 17. Air brake rack 18. Exhaust manifold 19. Sand box 20. Fuel filler 21. Batteries 22. Fuel (1,200 gal.) &
Water (1,350 gal.) tank 23. Main air reservoir 24. Air intake shutters &
grille 25. Battery charging
receptacle 26. Engine room ventilator 27. Fuel tank gauge 28. Emergency fuel cut-off 29. Water filler 30. Sanding nozzles 31. “A-C” contractor cabinet 32. Lifting lugs 33. Battery box vents 34. Hostler’s hinged sash 35. Controller *Modifications |
36. Ventilating shutters 37. Air brake stand 38. Water tank vent 39. H.R. pipe line filter 40. Horn 41. Coupler 42. Air intake for grids 43. Door 44. Air compressor
aftercooler 45. Sand box filler 46. Blue flag bracket 47. Hinged sash 48. Fixed sash 49. Fire extinguisher 50. Steam generator* 51. Liquid water treatment* 52. Dynamic brake hatch or
water tank—600 gal.* 53. Water tank—1,200 gal.* 54. Inboard sanding |
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Key to Location of Principal Parts on the
General-Motors 1,750-Hp. F9-A Freight Locomotive 1.
Engine
EMB Model 16-567-C 2.
Main
generator and alternator 3.
Generator
Blower 4.
Auxiliary
generator 5.
Control
cabinet 6.
Air
compressor 7.
Traction-motor
blower 8.
Instrument
board 9.
Control
stand 10. Speedometer recorder 11. Air-brake valve 12. Cab heater 13. Seat 14. Hand brake 15. Fuel-tank vent with flame
arrestor 16. Lubricating-oil filler 17. Lubricating-oil cooler 18. Engine-water tank 19. Engine control and instrument
panel 20. Load regulator |
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21. 36-in. fan and motor 22. Radiator 23. Horn 24. Exhaust manifold 25. Fuel filler 26. Sand box filler 27. Fixed-beam headlight 28. Batteries 29. 1,200 gal. Fuel tank 30. Main air reservoir 31. Coupler 32. Air intake-shutters &
grille 33. Air intake engine room
*Modifications |
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Just your average every
day dirty old work-a-day freight train here.
Hardly! Brand new F-3’s
1616-1617 head string of brand new, and very beautiful, MDT (Merchant’s
Despatch Transportation Corp.) reefers.
Cars have black roof and ends with white sides that have a red and
blue stripe near the bottom. |
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Why did diesel replace
steam so quickly and completely? This
scene tells it all. Eastbound A-B-A
F-7’s head reefer train beneath the Elyria, Ohio coal dock that is in process
of being dismantled. We too, have
been saddened by the destruction of this and other glorious monuments that
are part of our youth, and National Heritage but it falls within the phrase;
“The trouble with steam – it’s a people machine”. |
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American Locomotive Company Series (ALCO)
Probably, the most handsome,
in my opinion, of all the diesels of that era was the ALCO Passenger Locomotive
Series, Model PA3.
ALCO 2,250-hp. passenger
locomotive
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Location of Parts—ALCO 2,250-hp. Passenger Locomotive, A Unit, Model PA-3 1. Engine 2. Main Generator 3. Exciter 4. Auxiliary generators 5. Traction motors 6. Contractor compartment 7. Turbosupercharger 8. Turbosupercharger filters
& silencers 9. Dynamic brake grids &
blowers (modification) 10. Control stand 11. Brake valves 12. Traction motor blowers 13. Radiators 14. Radiator shutters 15. Radiator fan |
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16. Radiator fan clutch 17. Lubricating oil cooler 18. Lubricating oil filters 19. Engine water tank 20. Air compressor 21. Main air reservoirs 22. Steam generator 23. Batteries 24. Sanitary fixture 25. Fuel tank 26. Fuel tank filling
connection |
27. Fuel tank gauge 28. Emergency Fuel Cut off 29. Water tanks 30. Water tank filling
conn’s. 31. Sand boxes 32. Sand box filling holes 33. Generator air duct 34. Hand brake 35. Cab heaters 36. Seat |
37.
Horn 38.
Bell 39.
Number box 40.
Tool box (modification) 41.
Fan control panel 42.
Water filling conn. For sanitary fixture 43.
Engine cooling water filling conn’s. 44.
Lube oil strainer 45.
Gauge board 46.
Motometer |
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Location of Parts—ALCO 2,250 Passenger Locomotive, B Unit, Model PB-3
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Handsome matched A-B-A set
of Alco FA-2 units pass beneath an equally handsome upper quadrant semaphore
signal bridge as they approach Harmon, N.Y. |
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Key to Location of Parts ALCO 1,600-Hp. Dual-Purpose Locomotive—A Unit
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*Modification |
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Fairbanks Morse Series
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In 1952 Fairbanks Morse
built 8 A unit C-Liners, of a most unusual design, for the Central. These passenger units were FM model
CPA-24-4 (NYC DPA-6) and numbered 4500-4507.
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They were only 56’6” long
and had 4 wheel truck in front and 6 wheel (A-1-A) in the rear. Heavy duty rear truck was necessary to
help carry the 12 cyl. (24 piston) 2400 h.p. O.P. engine which made them by far
the most powerful units on the Central at that time. Total weight was 313,800 lbs. With 258,300 of that on the four
driving axles. 4500-4501 (above) are
real beauties, even with their odd truck arrangement.
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13 car No. 49 “Berkshire”
at Newtonville, Mass. Nov. 24, 1956.
The B unit MU’d with 4505 is, believe it or not, and EMD F-3. The Central did have 2 F-3b’s equipped for
passenger service but we can’t read the number to verify if this is one of
them. |
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Fairbanks Morse Series
Side elevation of
Fairbanks-Morse, passenger and freight C-line A unit with four-wheel trucks.
Side elevation of
Fairbanks-Morse C-line freight and passenger B unit with four-wheel trucks.
Baldwin Lima
Hamilton Series
Trio of new Baldwin RF-16’s
(DFA-8) (nicknamed “Sharknose”) at
Eddystone, Pa. An A unit was 54’8” long, 15’ high and weighed 255,000 lbs. Engine was their VO in-line 8. Westinghouse 370-DEZ traction motors drove
the 42” wheels.
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This model is no longer manufactured. |
Location of Parts—Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton 1,600-Hp. Road Freight Locomotive—A Unit Model RF-16.
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16.
Fuel supply pump 17.
Fuel pressure filter 18.
Radiators—Engine cooling water 19.
Radiator fan with motor 20.
Temperature control equipment 21.
Expansion tank—Engine cooling water 22.
Radiator air discharge 23.
Water pump 24.
Air compressor 25.
Air reservoirs 26.
Air brake equipment 27.
Hand brake 28.
Electrical equipment cabinet *Modifications |
29.
Storage battery box 30.
Traction motor blower 31.
Sand box 32.
Operating controls 33.
Speed indicator 34.
Bell 35.
Fire extinguisher (portable) 36.
Fire extinguisher (fixed)* 37.
Seat 38.
Cab heater 39.
Alarm bell 40.
Air horn 41.
Water cooler* |
42.
Cab signal* 43.
Cab signal equipment* 44.
Train phone* 45.
Train phone equipment* 46.
Motor generator set* 47.
Dynamic brake resistors* 48.
Dynamic brake equipment* 49.
Headlight 50.
Toilet |
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This model is no longer manufactured. |
Location of Parts—Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton 1,600-Hp. Road Freight Locomotive—B Unit Model RF-16
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*Modifications |
35. Operating
controls 36. Fire
extinguisher (portable) 37. Fire
extinguisher (fixed)*
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Niagara Falls Power
Niagara Falls is famous as
a symbolic wonder which people from all over the world travel to see… this
tremendous waterfall never stopping and never silent. Because this marvelous world wonder is
only looked at as a natural wonder very few of the millions of tourists
realize the enormous wealth and technological development derived from
harnessing of nature called hydroelectric power. First, I would like you to
try to comprehend some statistics from my era 1947-1960, which will fascinate
you. |
The
total power generated was 1,560,000 horsepower, every minute, available 24
hours a day 7 days a week every day of the year. The value of this power @ 1¢
per kilowatt was, at that time, $300,000 per day or $110,000.00 per year! That
was a wealth that dwarfs the income brought in by millions of tourists.
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Driven by the power of falling water, one of these generators alone
produces electrical energy sufficient to supply the homes of a city of
300,000 people. |
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Try
to even imagine this enormous flow of all water originated from the great
lakes-lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie all ceaselessly flowing over
this these two rocky escarpments-the American Falls and the so called
Canadian or Horseshoe Falls down through a raging gorge emptying into Lake
Ontario.
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The establishment of
electrochemistry and electrometallurgy is one of the most fascinating chapters
in the industrial development of the United States and Canada and involved
wonders of the world of science and engineering ever known on this planet, all
based on the spinning of enormous hydroelectric turbines some generating
100,000 HP each.
It is at this point that my inspiration began and what a story in
my growth was the mighty Niagara.