5000 Volt Motor

On loan from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn

One of only 4 prototype motors built by Westinghouse, this motor has resided at the Henry Ford Museum in its storage shed for more than 100 years. While nobody knows what happened to the other 3 motors, this one comes to us in a partnership with the Henry Ford to feature it in a place designated just for trolley and interurban systems. We are grateful to the Henry Ford for providing us the opportunity to present the motor with an operating model of the wheel set (trucks), so that visitors can see how the motors were actually installed in the trolley and interurban trucks.

Initially a system that provided electrical power to the rails that would ultimately allow for spreading out power stations to nearly 40 miles, compared to the standard 7 to 8 miles. Unfortunately, the motor never really caught on until the 1920’s era where interurban systems were beginning to fade away as the automobile became a popular mode of transportation.