Henry Ford and Group Touring Power Plant (1919)

[DeserTBoB93535]

Further clarification: The engine in this picture is a coal gas internal combustion engine of 5000 BHP, which used coal gas extracted from steam boilers elswhere in the plant. You see the other side of that one at 1:17 and the huge cylinder. From there, you see the smaller 1500 BHP coal gas engine on the other side of the dynamo. Two years later, this plant was dubbed obsolete and plans were made to either scrap it or convert to full steam. The plant was leveled in 1956.

[DeserTBoB93535]

This was the original scheme for powering Highland Park...recip steam engines. By 1926, Ford himself declared the Highland Park powerhouse to be oboslete. When this movie was taken in 1919, they had just completed the huge Rouge plant powerhouse (which exploded in 1998) which was huge turbines and could power the entire city of Detroit.

[Oviner123]

That is one whompus kitty huge cylinder driving that generator flywheel. Amazing!