|
Photo from the Edinburgh Corporation Transport Department Collection Shrubhill Works Around 1920s |
Here is some heavy equipment, manufactured by Peebles of Edinburgh.
Are these generators? Was this equipment originally used to drive the cables for Edinburgh's cable car system?
© Photo from the
Edinburgh Corporation Transport Collection reproduced with acknowledgement to
Lothian Buses
and taken from a print from the original glass plate made by John Dickson,
Royston, Edinburgh: March 11, 2012
|
Comment 1. Patrick Lindsay Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
|
Thank you to Patrick Lindsay for posting a comment in the EdinPhoto guestbook. Patrick wrote: |
|
Shrubhill Works Motors "The drum looks more like the outer frame carrying the fixed stator windings (those flat things you see going in and out all around the frame) of an early rotating machine. It looks like this is an older machine than the the machine in the foreground. The foreground machine is a motor. Possibly, that's the reason for the photo having been taken. Also it looks as if part of a bracket that would hold this fixed frame in place is just disappearing behind the left-hand side of the front machine." Power Generation? "Did Shrubhill generate it's own tram power for winding the cable for the cable trams, or for the electric trams? If so, from what? These machines are possibly too small to wind the cable. We need someone to kindly clarify if these machines were used for cable or electric trams."
Patrick Lindsay, Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
|
Comment 2. Peter Stubbs Edinburgh |
|
Shrubhill Works Power Generation In his book 'Edinburgh Transport - The Early Years', DLG Hunter includes a photograph of a large wheel and other heavy equipment. His caption for the photo reads: 'Shrubhill cable power station. This part of the building became the "heavy repair shop" in electric car days and dealt with truck repairs.' Does this reference to the cable power station imply that Shrubhill did generate its own electricity in cable car days? Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: March 30, 2012 |
|
Comment 3. Benzyl Edinburgh |
|
Thank you to Benzyl who replied: |
|
Power Generation "These are generators similar to the one seen being assembled in 1904 in this YouTube clip. At the time, the power was generated locally in the tram works, such as at Portobello, up until they went on the National Grid, quite a few years later when it was capable of supplying the high loads as compared to home lighting and more domestic needs. The cable car winding wheels that I recall seeing being demolished in pictures of the Tollcross winding house being re-purposed were about eighteen feet across and much more mechanically simple in nature and powered by locally situated steam engines." Benzyl, Edinburgh: March 31, 2012 |