George Westinghouse

George Westinghouse (October 6 1846 – March 12 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer now best known for the brand of electrical goods that bear his name. Friend to Nikola Tesla and one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system, he was also active in the railroad and telephone industries. In 1911, he received the AIEEs Edison Medal 'For meritorious achievement in connection with the development of the alternating current system for light and power.'

Early years

George Westinghouse was born in Central Bridge, New York, on October 6 1846. In the mid-1850s, his father, George Westinghouse Senior, established a factory in Schenectady, New York, where young George learned about mechanics, manufacturing, management, and business. After the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the 15-year-old George ran away with two of his brothers to fight for the Union cause. One of the brothers was killed in action. George transferred to the Union Navy to become a ship's engineer.

Related Topics:
George Westinghouse Senior - Schenectady, New York - American Civil War

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

George Westinghouse returned to Schenectady after the end of the war in 1865, where he studied engineering at Union College while he dreamed up new inventions, mostly related to the railroads. At the time, the safety record of the railroads was appalling, and he became interested in designing improvements that would make trains safer and more efficient to operate.

Related Topics:
1865 - Union College - Railroad

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His first major invention was a device to mount railroad cars back on tracks after they had been derailed. After watching a collision between two trains, he invented an improved braking system that could be operated by the locomotive engineer, without the delay of going through a brakeman.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Such systems had been invented before, based on steam or chains, but had not proven effective. Westinghouse invented a new system that used compressed air. This original Westinghouse braking system was not "fail-safe", but he refined the design until it was, and also worked towards standardization of air brake systems to ensure interoperability between different train lines. In 1893, the US Railroad Safety Appliance Act made air brakes mandatory on all trains in the US, and air brakes remain standard on railroads, trucks, and buses even today.

Related Topics:
Fail-safe - Air brake - 1893 - US Railroad Safety Appliance Act

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1868, Westinghouse went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the next year he set up the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO). His air-brake system established his reputation and fortunes. He moved on to develop a new automatic signal and switching system using electricity and compressed air, as well as improved car couplers.

Related Topics:
1868 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Westinghouse Air Brake Company

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He then began to expand the scope of his activities. Oil was becoming increasingly important for industrial purposes. Oil drilling tended to release natural gas, which was simply wasted because there was no way to deal with it. Westinghouse developed improved drilling equipment that could handle natural gas, as well as the elements of piping systems needed to distribute the gas.

Related Topics:
Oil - Oil drilling - Natural gas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1877 led Westinghouse into a new domain. At first, all telephone calls were routed through a central switchboard, but this led to a tangle of wiring. In 1879, Westinghouse introduced automated substations that could route calls to a central exchange, greatly reducing the number of connections. Such a "hierarchical" switching system would eventually be expanded into the modern switched telephone network.

Related Topics:
Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell - 1877 - Switchboard

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~