Saturday, October 25, 2014

Grids Ain't Gravy

Electric Mine Hoist, Tonopah, Nevada

Electric Mine Hoist Pulleys, Tonopah, Nevada

Westinghouse resistance grids from a mine hoist, displayed at the Tonopah Mining Museum. 
Coal empties descend Mullan Pass at  Birdseye, Montana


Whether its decelerating mine hoists or coal trains, engineers have used banks of resistance grids for years, even in my own field of Information Technology. A portable trailer full of them was pulled up to my old office building in Portland, Oregon on a Saturday for testing. They were hooked up to our emergency diesel generator and you should have heard what sounded like howling dynamic brakes just blocks from Pioneer Square.


Dynamic Brake Hatch - MRL SD45

Dynamic Brake Resistor Grids - MRL SD45

Dynamic Brake Resistor Grids - MRL SD45

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