Today Karen, the kids, and I went to the New York Transit Museum to participate in a special program in connection with the exhibit “Last Day of the Myrtle Avenue El: Photographs by Theresa King.” After the photographer talked to us about her pictures, the kids borrowed digital cameras, and we headed out to see what Myrtle Avenue looks like today.
I wandered around the museum and was surprised to stumble upon the old control panel for the Harlem River Lift Bridge. This panel was made in Schenectady, New York, by General Electric and was used from 1936 through 2000:
Here are some details. This is the normal control master switch:
Here is the normal skew indicator:
This is the hand level-up switch:
And this is the Harlem River Lift Bridge (part of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, ex-Triborough Bridge). It was taken during our first circumnavigation of Manhattan in Puffin.
Here’s one of the controls on the Blynman Bridge in Gloucester, very similar.
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/blynman-canal-bridgehouse-3/
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/blynman-canal-bridgehouse-2/
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/blynman-canal-bridgehouse/
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/blynman-canal-bridgehouse-operator-steve-lake/
and a video-
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/inside-the-blynman-bridge-control-house-video/
Oh dear. I’m nominating you for best powerboat blog on the planet, but where oh where has the Puffin been?
Thanks!
The problem with a more-or-less narrowly focused blog about boating in NYC is that there are long winter months when nothing happens.
Puffin has been prepped for launch and should splash any day now. Stay tuned for new adventures…