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George Westinghouse - The Man
Lahlou, Tarek:
Westinghouse’s experience as a young business entrepreneur was extremely important to the growth of alternating current throughout the country. He was shocked early on in his career to have his first invention to the railroad industry not be as successful as it possibly could have been. Westinghouse learned something from dealing with businesses and securing patents. This changed him to always keep extreme control over his patents, as to not allow other companies to take his ideas without him being a beneficiary. Westinghouse was extremely important to the improvement of technology in his era. He was more of a business leader than he was an engineer. He had teams of engineers that worked for him, and he left a lot of the technical work to them. He took care of business proposals and financing, which came very naturally to him. Westinghouse was a business leader every day. He often hosted parties at his home that big business leaders and influential people of the day. By doing this he found ways to get the big contracts, and always have cliental for his innovative projects. He was always open to new ideas and looking for ways to improve his already existing inventions. In contrast to other major leaders in the field at the time, Westinghouse’s flexibility allowed him to deviate from Direct Current and work with Nikola Tesla on Alternating Current, eventually making him one of the richest businessmen in the nation. Westinghouse made more contributions to the field of electricity with his leadership style than his technical skills, which allowed other great engineers of the time to have funds appropriated to them to create the works that they created.
Ayers, Gabe:
George Westinghouse was a genius when it came to recognizing the economic power of emerging techonologies. He was lucky enough to be in his prime at the turn of the 20th century as the foundation of the electrical world we live in today was being laid. He saw the new technologies and knew that with the right pushes in the right places these technologies could change the world drastically. The credit of each of the inventions of the era is given to the men who did the work but part of that credit is due to George Westinghouse. He gave the right men the right tools to get the job done and in the end was successful in most of his endevours.
Miller, Chris:
Westinghouse did the most on improving the railroad and electrical power. He was the largest private employer in industrial history. He installed the first multiple-voltage ac system.
http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/october96/features/westingh/westingh.html
Westinghouse invented the railroad air brake. "Westinghouse system used a compressor on the locomotive, a reservoir and a special valve on each car, and a single pipe running the length of the train (with flexible connections) which both refilled the reservoirs and controlled the brakes, applying and releasing the brakes on all cars simultaneously. It is a failsafe system in that any rupture or disconnection in the train pipe will apply the brakes throughout the train." Westinghouse and William Stanley were the first to install a multiple-voltage power system using AC. The multiple-voltage system was used to step-up voltage to 3,000 volts for the transmission and stepped down to 100 volts for electric lights.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Westinghouse
Long, Zack:
George Westinghouse Jr. was born on October 6, 1846 in Central Bridge, New York, and became one of the greatest engineer,industrialist,inventor that did more than anyone else to modernize railroads and electric power industries. Most of Westinghouse's patents were for rotary steam engines, air brakes, and natural gas pipes. In the "Battle of the Currents" Thomas Edison built the first electric utility system with direct current, but Westinghouse saw that large transmission losses that Edison's ultily system had and Westinghouse's solution was his natural gas transport system. Westinghouse's natural gas system helped because he needed wasa higher voltage to transport efficently, but a low voltage tht is safe to use. This brought forth the invention of the transformer.
http://ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?id=1234674&lid=1
http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/october96/features/westingh/westingh.html
Power, Conor
Westinghouse had a huge impact on the railroad industry by inventing the air brake. The invention of these breaks allowed the trains to travel at faster speeds safely. The development of the air brake also lead to new and better inventions such as the electro-magnetic break. By 1905, over 2,000,000 freight, passenger, mail, baggage and express cars and 89,000 locomotives were equipped with the Westinghouse Quick-Action Automatic Brake. The Westinghouse air-brake invention used compressed air to evenly and quickly stop trains. This made transportation a lot safer and more reliable.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/west/westair.html
Littleton, Andrew
George Westinghouse was a brilliant businessman with an open mind. His invention of the airbrake for the railroads had a huge impact on the industry and made him extremely rich. Westinghouse managed to use his success to attain even greater levels of achievement. An engineer himself, and willing to listen to new ideas, Westinghouse became interested in Nikola Tesla and AC current. He became so convinced by Tesla that he had the confidence to fund a company and develop the AC motor and transformer for commercial application. This brought him into conflict with Thomas Edison’s electric company in “The War of the Currents”, which Westinghouse eventually emerged victorious after the successful lighting of the Chicago World’s fair with AC power.
Wilkins, Ryan:
George Westinghouse was born October 15, 1846 and died March 12, 1914. He was an American entrepreneur, engineer and pioneer of the electrical industry, who also invented the railroad air brakes. Westinghouse was main rivals with Thomas Edison (who used DC systems, where as Westinghouse used AC systems) in the electrical industry. Westinghouse was born the son of a machine shop owner and became very talented at machinery and business. At the age of 19, he had created his first invention, the rotary steam engine. By the age of 21 he invented a "car replacer", which was a piece developed to guide derailed railroad cars back onto the tracks, and a reversible frog, a device used with a railroad switch to maneuver trains onto one of two tracks. It was about this time in Westinghouse's life that he witnessed two trains wreck because two engineers both saw the other coming, but could not stop their trains in time using the brakes. Brakemen used to have to run from car to car, even on top of the cars, to pull the brakes by hand. Because of this impacting experience, he devoted the next several years of his life to railroad safety devices. When he was 22, he invented a railroad braking system that used compessed air. The system used a compressor on the locomotive, a special valve and reservoir on every car, and a single pipe running the length of train. These flexible connections refilled both the reservoirs and controlled the brakes, applying and releasing the brakes on all cars simultaneously. It ended up being patented by Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. Soon after Westinghouse decided to organize WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) to manufacture and sell his invention. Todays modern trains use brakes similar to these, just in various forms based on design. After that endeavor, Westinghouse pursued improvements in railroad signals, which at the time were oil lamps. In 1881 he founded the Union Switch and Signal Company to produce his signaling and switching inventions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Westinghouse
Lahlou, Tarek:
Westinghouse’s experience as a young business entrepreneur was extremely important to the growth of alternating current throughout the country. He was shocked early on in his career to have his first invention to the railroad industry not be as successful as it possibly could have been. Westinghouse learned something from dealing with businesses and securing patents. This changed him to always keep extreme control over his patents, as to not allow other companies to take his ideas without him being a beneficiary. Westinghouse was extremely important to the improvement of technology in his era. He was more of a business leader than he was an engineer. He had teams of engineers that worked for him, and he left a lot of the technical work to them. He took care of business proposals and financing, which came very naturally to him. Westinghouse was a business leader every day. He often hosted parties at his home that big business leaders and influential people of the day. By doing this he found ways to get the big contracts, and always have cliental for his innovative projects. He was always open to new ideas and looking for ways to improve his already existing inventions. In contrast to other major leaders in the field at the time, Westinghouse’s flexibility allowed him to deviate from Direct Current and work with Nikola Tesla on Alternating Current, eventually making him one of the richest businessmen in the nation. Westinghouse made more contributions to the field of electricity with his leadership style than his technical skills, which allowed other great engineers of the time to have funds appropriated to them to create the works that they created.
Ayers, Gabe:
George Westinghouse was a genius when it came to recognizing the economic power of emerging techonologies. He was lucky enough to be in his prime at the turn of the 20th century as the foundation of the electrical world we live in today was being laid. He saw the new technologies and knew that with the right pushes in the right places these technologies could change the world drastically. The credit of each of the inventions of the era is given to the men who did the work but part of that credit is due to George Westinghouse. He gave the right men the right tools to get the job done and in the end was successful in most of his endevours.
Miller, Chris:
Westinghouse did the most on improving the railroad and electrical power. He was the largest private employer in industrial history. He installed the first multiple-voltage ac system.
http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/october96/features/westingh/westingh.html
Westinghouse invented the railroad air brake. "Westinghouse system used a compressor on the locomotive, a reservoir and a special valve on each car, and a single pipe running the length of the train (with flexible connections) which both refilled the reservoirs and controlled the brakes, applying and releasing the brakes on all cars simultaneously. It is a failsafe system in that any rupture or disconnection in the train pipe will apply the brakes throughout the train." Westinghouse and William Stanley were the first to install a multiple-voltage power system using AC. The multiple-voltage system was used to step-up voltage to 3,000 volts for the transmission and stepped down to 100 volts for electric lights.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Westinghouse
Long, Zack:
George Westinghouse Jr. was born on October 6, 1846 in Central Bridge, New York, and became one of the greatest engineer,industrialist,inventor that did more than anyone else to modernize railroads and electric power industries. Most of Westinghouse's patents were for rotary steam engines, air brakes, and natural gas pipes. In the "Battle of the Currents" Thomas Edison built the first electric utility system with direct current, but Westinghouse saw that large transmission losses that Edison's ultily system had and Westinghouse's solution was his natural gas transport system. Westinghouse's natural gas system helped because he needed wasa higher voltage to transport efficently, but a low voltage tht is safe to use. This brought forth the invention of the transformer.
http://ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?id=1234674&lid=1
http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/october96/features/westingh/westingh.html
Power, Conor
Westinghouse had a huge impact on the railroad industry by inventing the air brake. The invention of these breaks allowed the trains to travel at faster speeds safely. The development of the air brake also lead to new and better inventions such as the electro-magnetic break. By 1905, over 2,000,000 freight, passenger, mail, baggage and express cars and 89,000 locomotives were equipped with the Westinghouse Quick-Action Automatic Brake. The Westinghouse air-brake invention used compressed air to evenly and quickly stop trains. This made transportation a lot safer and more reliable.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/west/westair.html
Littleton, Andrew
George Westinghouse was a brilliant businessman with an open mind. His invention of the airbrake for the railroads had a huge impact on the industry and made him extremely rich. Westinghouse managed to use his success to attain even greater levels of achievement. An engineer himself, and willing to listen to new ideas, Westinghouse became interested in Nikola Tesla and AC current. He became so convinced by Tesla that he had the confidence to fund a company and develop the AC motor and transformer for commercial application. This brought him into conflict with Thomas Edison’s electric company in “The War of the Currents”, which Westinghouse eventually emerged victorious after the successful lighting of the Chicago World’s fair with AC power.
Wilkins, Ryan:
George Westinghouse was born October 15, 1846 and died March 12, 1914. He was an American entrepreneur, engineer and pioneer of the electrical industry, who also invented the railroad air brakes. Westinghouse was main rivals with Thomas Edison (who used DC systems, where as Westinghouse used AC systems) in the electrical industry. Westinghouse was born the son of a machine shop owner and became very talented at machinery and business. At the age of 19, he had created his first invention, the rotary steam engine. By the age of 21 he invented a "car replacer", which was a piece developed to guide derailed railroad cars back onto the tracks, and a reversible frog, a device used with a railroad switch to maneuver trains onto one of two tracks. It was about this time in Westinghouse's life that he witnessed two trains wreck because two engineers both saw the other coming, but could not stop their trains in time using the brakes. Brakemen used to have to run from car to car, even on top of the cars, to pull the brakes by hand. Because of this impacting experience, he devoted the next several years of his life to railroad safety devices. When he was 22, he invented a railroad braking system that used compessed air. The system used a compressor on the locomotive, a special valve and reservoir on every car, and a single pipe running the length of train. These flexible connections refilled both the reservoirs and controlled the brakes, applying and releasing the brakes on all cars simultaneously. It ended up being patented by Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. Soon after Westinghouse decided to organize WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) to manufacture and sell his invention. Todays modern trains use brakes similar to these, just in various forms based on design. After that endeavor, Westinghouse pursued improvements in railroad signals, which at the time were oil lamps. In 1881 he founded the Union Switch and Signal Company to produce his signaling and switching inventions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Westinghouse
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