Cos Cob Power Station
Cos Cob Power Station | |
.jpg) Cos Cob Power Station in 1977 | |
   | |
| Location | Roughly bounded by Metro North RR tracks, the Mianus R. and Sound Shore Dr., Cos Cob, Greenwich, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°1′46″N 73°35′50″W / 41.02944°N 73.59722°W |
| Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Built | 1907 |
| Architect | Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co. |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001096[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 2, 1990 |
Cos Cob Power Station was a historic power station near the Metro-North Railroad tracks, the Mianus River and Sound Shore Drive in the Cos Cob area of Greenwich, Connecticut.
The Spanish Revival style station building of 1907 was significant as part of the first mainline railroad electrification in the United States, using alternating current (AC) electrification. The New York City subway systems and a Hudson River railroad line used lower voltage direct current (DC) electrification, but for longer distances that would mean high transmission losses or frequent and closely spaced substations.[2]: 11
A 1903 New York State law prohibited the use of steam locomotives in New York City. The New Haven line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad ran commuter trains into the city, and electrification all the way to New Haven would avoid massive congestion and delays to commuter trains if locomotives were changed at the New York City limits or at Stamford, CT.
The "New Haven" chose AC electrification as proposed by Baldwin-Westinghouse, with locomotives which could operate on the third-rail DC system within city limits, and the AC system on the main line.
The plant was built by
The station was designated a
The power station was decommissioned in 1986–87.[2]
The plant was listed on the
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Matthew Roth and Bruce Clouette (November 27, 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Cos Cob Power Station". National Park Service. and Accompanying 14 photos, exterior and interior, from 1989
- ^ a b "#76 AC Electrification NY, New Haven & Hartford". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
Further reading
- Stewart, Robert C. (1997). "Electricity on the High Iron: Cos Cob Powers the New Haven Railroad". JSTOR 40968382.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CT-142-A, "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Cos Cob Power Plant"
- HAER No. CT-142-B, "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Mianus River Pumping Station"
- HAER No. CT-142-C, "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Bridge-Type Circuit Breakers"