Electricity on Trial with the Railroads

The impact that George Westinghouse had on railroads around the world is inestimable.

It started with his invention of the airbrake in 1869 and continued a decade later with automatic switching and signaling systems.

Perhaps less remembered were Westinghouse’s contributions to the electricifaction of the rails, from urban transit streetcars and subways to mainline railroad systems everywhere.

Reporting on the results of a series of large-scale tests then being conducted to compare the traction of locomotives powered by steam versus new ones with electrified engines, this New York Times article on February 21, 1909 traced Westinghouse’s railroad accomplishments, certified how much he had already contributed to the world, and offered a vision of the advancements to come.