[BC] 110 V DC

[Kevin Tekel]

Larry Bloomfield wrote:
> There were many parts of the Los Angeles area that were 50 Hz around 
> WWII and down town LA, near the Union Depot, was DC as I recall about
> that time too.

Niagra Falls supplied 25 Hz power to Canada and parts of the USA (mostly
upstate NY) until the early 1950s.  When the switch was made to 60 Hz, the
electric company sent out technicians to replace or modify motorized items
such as clocks, phonographs, washing machines, etc.  Radios and TVs did
not have to be modified, because those that were built for 25 Hz simply
had better power supply filtering than ones built for 50 or 60 Hz.

Niagra continued to supply 25 Hz power to industrial users in Canada, and
maybe still does so today.  Factories running on 25 Hz power had an
entirely different "sound" to them, due to the pervasiveness of AC hum in
the equipment.

Amtrak continues to use 25 Hz power on its rails in the Northeast USA, as
to do local transit services which share these rails.  I recall seeing AC
sockets in the train cars marked "25 Hz".  I don't recall the voltage
specified, but since the voltage on the Amtrak catenary is 11,000 volts,
it would make sense to provide 110V at the sockets.




 
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