General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

predominantly metal [probably including iron, copper, brass and steel]; coated paper [?] tape; may contain asbestos.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

118.0 cm

Width

100.0 cm

Height

183.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Energy-electric

Category

Regulation & transformation

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Westinghouse

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Hamilton

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

Used 1929- 2009.

Canada

This is Canadian made equipment, used in Quebec, which documents developments within the most significant power industry in that province. The significance of hydroelectric power production is extensively covered in the historical assessments on the subject. The HAs identify Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba as the most important sites of the hydroelectric developments. The M&G set was made between 1925 and1929 in Hamilton by the Canadian Westinghouse for the Bryson Hydroelectric Station. It is on the plans for the station dated 1924. The Bryson Hydroelectric Station was built between 1923 and 1925 by the Ottawa and Hull Power and Manufacturing Company subsidiary the Ottawa River Power. The construction began in October 1923 under the supervision of the Shawinigan Engineering Co. Ltd. The name of the construction firm is not known, but most likely the workers were hired among local tradesmen. The Bryson is a run-of-river generating station, which means that it generates current from the river flow, and does not require a reservoir. The station was built on the Ottawa River, on a channel away from the main river path and hydro developments in Ottawa-Hull. This location was chosen for two reasons. The lumber industry still had the right-of-way on the Ottawa River in the 1920s. Each power station had to ensure that its facilities did not block lumber routes. At Bryson, two slides were built to allow log traffic around the station, but since the power station was located on a channel, the slides were rarely used. The location, chosen in a distance from the cities, made the supplier of electricity invisible and reinforced the perception of hydro as clean energy. In 1925, the station was furnished with one set of generating equipment. In 1927, the station was acquired by the Gatineau Power, which added the second set of generating equipment and in 1929 auxiliary M&G set to operate hosting systems. With the nationalization of the power grid in 1963, the Bryson station became a property of the Hydro-Quebec. The station has been first designed as a heritage site in 1995. In 2002, it has been reevaluated by Hydro-Quebec and is now listed as one of the most significant sites; it ranks eight on the list of 89 sites. "Westinghouse began operations in Hamilton, Ont. in February 1897 as a branch plant of the American company. It was incorporated as a Canadian company in 1903. It established plants across Canada, and its products have included air brakes, household appliances, and steam and gas turbines. In 1995, the parent company, Westinghouse Electric, bought CBS broadcasting company, changed its name to CBS Corporation and focused its attention on the media. In 1998 the Power Generation Unit, including the plants on Sanford Avenue and Beach Road in Hamilton, were sold to Siemens AG of Germany. They were renamed Siemens Westinghouse and subsequently became divisions of Siemens Canada Ltd." (McMaster. Canadian Westinghouse Archives) [Ref. 1]

Function

Unknown

Technical

Unknown

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

"M-G' stencilled in off-white paint on unit front. "CANADIAN/ WESTINGHOUSE/ HAMILTON CANADA" and "[left pointing arrow] RAISE LOWER [right pointing arrow]" appears in raised print on both crank wheel housings. Small plate fastened above left side crank reads "CANADIAN WESTINGHOUSE CO./ LIMITED/ HAMILTON CANADA./ FIELD RHEOSTAT/ [blank] Volts 12.8/3.6 Amps./5.6 Ohms Style 293847/ PATENTED 1905". Small plate fastened above right side crank reads "CANADIAN WESTINGHOUSE CO./ LIMITED/ HAMILTON CANADA./ FIELD RHEOSTAT/ [blank] Volts 31.5/36.5 Amps./6.2 Ohms Style 293848/ PATENTED 1905". Larger motor, mounted in centre of panel between two crank wheels bears plate marked "WESTINGHOUSE/ ELECTRIC & MFG. CO./ PITTSBURG, PA. U.S.A./ DIRECT CURRENT MOTOR/ TYPE CDH/ FRAME 525/ COMPOUN[illegible] 1/6 H.P. CONT. HOURS [illegible] 115 VOLTS 1.67 AMP. 1325 [?] [illegible] / STYLE/ 284107/ [Westinghouse logo] [illegible]/ PATENTED 12-10-12/ 1-11-17 [illegible]". Second, smaller motor on front right marked "WESTINGHOUSE/ ELECTRIC & MFG. CO./ PITTSBURG, PA., U.S.A./ DIRECT CURRENT MOTOR/ TYPE 00/ FRAME 323 SHUNT/ 1/20 H.P. CONT. HOURS [symbol] 115 VOLTS/ .68 AMPS. 1700 R.P.M./ STYLE/ 168061 A [Westinghouse logo]/ SERIAL/ 3846505/ PATENTED 12-10-12 2-3-14 [illegible]".

Missing

Said to be complete and operating at time of acquisition.

Finish

Metal frame and components [probably including iron, copper, brass and steel]; coated paper [?] tape covering wrapped around bundled wires. Caution: some wires may have asbestos covering.

Decoration

N/A