Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Power generation: The company pioneered the power generation industry and in the fields of long-distance power transmission and high-voltage alternating-current transmission, unveiling the technology for lighting in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

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Steam turbine generator: The first commercial Westinghouse steam turbine-driven generator, a 1,500 kW unit, began operation at . in 1901. The machine, nicknamed Mary-Ann, was the first steam turbine generator to be installed by an electric utility to generate electricity in the US. George Westinghouse had based his original steam turbine design on designs licensed from the English inventor Charles Parsons. Today a large proportion of steam turbine generators operating around the world, ranging to units as large as 1,500 MW (or 1,000 times the original 1901 unit) were supplied by Westinghouse from its factories in Lester, Pennsylvania, Charlotte, North Carolina, or Hamilton, Ont. or were built overseas under Westinghouse license. Major Westinghouse licensees or joint venture partners included Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan and Harbin Turbine Co. and Shanghai Electric Co. of China.

Hartford Electric Light Co

Research: Westinghouse had 50,000 employees by 1900 and established a formal research and development department in 1906. While the company was expanding, it would experience internal financial difficulties. During the Panic of 1907, the Board of Directors forced George Westinghouse to take a six-month leave of absence. Westinghouse officially retired in 1909 and died several years later in 1914.

Electrical technology: Under new leadership, Westinghouse Electric diversified its business activities in electrical technology. It acquired the Copeman Electric Stove Company in 1914 and Pittsburgh High Voltage Insulator Company in 1921. Westinghouse also moved into radio broadcasting by establishing Pittsburgh's , the first commercial radio station, and WBZ in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1921. Westinghouse expanded into the elevator business, establishing the Westinghouse Elevator Company in 1928; it sold its elevator business to Schindler Group (forming the Schindler Elevator Corporation) in 1989. Throughout the decade, diversification engendered considerable growth; sales went from $43 million in 1914 to $216 million in 1929.^[23]

KDKA

Aviation: Westinghouse produced the first operational American for the US Navy program in 1943. After many successes, the ill-fated J40 project, started soon after World War Two, was abandoned in 1955 and led to Westinghouse exiting the aircraft engine business with the closure of the Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division (Kansas City) in 1960.

turbojet

Gas turbines: During the late 1940s, Westinghouse applied its aviation gas turbine technology and experience to develop its first industrial gas turbine. A 2,000–horsepower model W21 was installed in 1948 at the Mississippi River Fuel Corp gas compression station in .^[24] This was the starting point for the company to enter in industrial and utility gas turbine business,^[25] prior to the sale by Westinghouse of the power generation business to Siemens AG in 1997. Evolving from the Small Steam and Gas Turbine Division formed in the early 1950s, the Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division was located in Concordville, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia and the old Lester, Pennsylvania plant, until it was relocated to Power Generation headquarters in Orlando, Florida in 1987.

Wilmar, Arkansas

Nuclear power: As a result of its participation in the US government's military program for nuclear energy applications (e.g., The Nuclear Navy) Westinghouse utilized that experience in the development and commercialization of nuclear energy systems for electric power generation. This business currently operates as the and is owned by Brookfield Business Partners of Canada. Electricite de France (EDF) a major global player in the nuclear power business, was a long-time licensee of the Westinghouse nuclear technology.

Westinghouse Electric Company

Industrial motors: Additional major industrial products in the widespread Westinghouse portfolio included electric motors of all sizes, elevators and escalators, controls, and lighting. The Large Motor Division, once headquartered in Buffalo, NY, entered a joint venture with Taiwan Electric Co. (TECO) in the 1970s and today operates as TECO-Westinghouse. Much of Westinghouse's higher voltage power equipment was sold to ABB in 1989 and renamed the ABB Power T&D Company.^[27]

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Rail transit: The Westinghouse Transportation Division (est. 1894) supplied equipment and controls for many North American and streetcar lines, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, Washington Metro, New York City Subway equipment from the 1890s elevated era to the R68A in 1988, among many other heavy rail and rail transit systems and built locomotives, often in partnership with Baldwin, Lima-Hamilton as well as supplying electrical and traction equipment for Fairbanks-Morse diesel locomotives. The division designed and built Automated People Movers (APMs) at several major U.S. airports, including Sea-Tac. Tampa, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Orlando. The Transportation Division was sold to AEG of Germany (1988), which merged into a joint venture of ABB and Daimler-Benz named AdTranz in 1996. Ultimately, the unit was acquired by Bombardier of Canada in 2001 and is still headquartered in Pittsburgh.^[28]

interurban

Consumer electrics: Westinghouse was also among the initial manufacturers to make household electrical products including radios, televisions, and other audio/video equipment. This also included both small and large electric appliances of all kinds, from hair dryers and electric irons to clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators and air conditioning units. After more than 50 years, and after playing a strong No. 2 to rival for most of that time, Westinghouse decided to exit the appliance business in the mid-1970s. White-Westinghouse was formed when White Consolidated Industries acquired the Westinghouse appliance unit in 1975.

General Electric

World's Fair time capsules: The company is also known for its during the 1939 New York World's Fair and 1964 New York World's Fair. They also participated in the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. They sponsored the Westinghouse Auditorium at the fair, where they showed films documenting Westinghouse products and company plants.^[13] Westinghouse was one of the original corporate sponsors and exhibitors at Walt Disney World's EPCOT attraction in Orlando, Florida.

time capsule contributions

Sharon plant: The Westinghouse Plant was a 58-acre Westinghouse transformer production facility in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. The EPA's recent Five Year Review Report (2016) of this Superfund site determined that the Shenango River has been polluted due to Westinghouse operations in this area.^[29] Because of the findings, the state of Pennsylvania has issued a "Do Not Eat" advisory for fish around the Westinghouse site.^[30] This plant was no longer operational after 1984. Westinghouse submitted their final cleanup plan in 1998, and further action beyond their dissolution has been liable to CBS. The transformer business unit was sold to ABB in 1989. This site now houses a product design company.

Sharon

Adams County plant: Westinghouse was fined $5.5 million in 1996 for polluting groundwater in over 100 wells, as well as other water sources, while operating its Westinghouse Elevator Company plant in . Degreasers and other toxic chemicals were released over a five-year period in the 1980s.^[31] This business unit was sold to Schindler in 1988. Future liability for cleanup has been directed to CBS following the dissolution of Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1999.

Adams County, Pennsylvania

Horseheads site: Westinghouse operated a cathode-ray tube plant in . They were deemed responsible for pollution at the Kentucky Avenue Wellfield Superfund site in Horseheads, New York. Westinghouse polluted nearby soil, affecting the safety of a nearby aquifer and wells used by residents. One phase of the cleanup effort describes Westinghouse Electric Corporation's facility, designated "Disposal Area F" and the "Former Runoff Basin Area", which are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and arsenic, will be cleaned up using a combination of soil excavation and soil vapor extraction. At Disposal Area F, the area of contamination is about 0.3 acres. At the Former Runoff Basin Area, the contaminated soils cover approximately 0.7 acres. Disposal of the excavated soils occurred at appropriate off-site facilities. The removal of the PAHs and arsenic contamination will protect site workers and employees at the Westinghouse facility and the cleanup of the VOCs will help restore the quality of the Newtown Creek Aquifer.^[32] In 1986, Westinghouse entered a joint venture at this plant with Toshiba to produce Cathode-Ray Tubes (CRTs). In 1989, Toshiba became part owner of this plant and the Westinghouse CRT business unit. Future liability has been shifted to CBS.

Horseheads, New York

Sunnyvale plant: Westinghouse operated a plant which manufactured electronics for military systems in . Groundwater and soil near this plant are contaminated with PCBs, fuels, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Potential health threats to area residents include accidentally ingesting or coming into direct contact with site contaminants in soil or groundwater. There are municipal drinking water wells within 1⁄4-mile from this site, and 300,000 people get their drinking water from within three miles of the site.^[33] This business unit was sold to Northrop Grumman in 1996. Future liability for this action has been passed on to CBS.

Sunnyvale, California

1884 – begins developing a DC electric lighting system

George Westinghouse

1885 – Westinghouse becomes aware of the new European based alternating current systems when he reads about them in the UK technical journal Engineering^[34]

transformer

1885 – , working for Westinghouse, develops the first practical AC transformer^[35]

William Stanley, Jr.

1886 – Westinghouse Electric Company founded in East Pittsburgh

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1886 – William Stanley, Jr. installs the world's first operational transformer based multiple voltage transmission system, a demonstration lighting system in

Great Barrington, Massachusetts

1888 – development of an induction for alternating current developed by Oliver B. Shallenberger

ampere-hour meter

1888 – licensing of 's AC and Induction motor patents (Tesla was hired for one year as a consultant, but he quit after a few months)^[37]

Nikola Tesla

1889 – renames itself the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company

1886–1909^[56]

George Westinghouse

Edwin Herr, 1911–1929

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Frank Anderson Merrick, 1929 – February 1938

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George Bucher, February 1938–1946

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Gwilym Price, 1946–1957^[61]

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Mark Cresap, Jr. 1957–1963

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Don Burnham, 1963–1975

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Robert Kirby, 1975–1983

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Douglas Danforth, December 1983 – December 1987^[66]

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John Marous, 1988 – June 29, 1990

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Paul Lego, June 30, 1990 – January 1993

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Gary Clark, January–July 1993

July 1993 – 1997^[69]

Michael Jordan

List of Westinghouse locomotives

also known as Siemens Power Generation, Inc.

Siemens Westinghouse

War of the currents

Westinghouse Electric Company

Westinghouse Works, 1904

also known as Group W

Westinghouse Broadcasting

Westinghouse Lamp Plant

Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division

Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division

White-Westinghouse

Paramount Global

Westinghouse Licensing Corporation

Schindler Elevator Corporation

Timeline of Westinghouse historical events

Archived October 5, 2022, at the Wayback Machine – March 1998 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette series detailing Westinghouse's history and break-up

"Who Killed Westinghouse?"

Pittsburgh Technology Council

The Westinghouse Legacy

. Pittsburgh Technology Council. March 1999. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2012.

"What Happened to Westinghouse?"

. Antique Light Sockets. Retrieved July 10, 2010.

"The Westinghouse Electric Company"

1904

Assembling a Generator, Westinghouse Works

(1898–1964) at Hagley Museum and Library

Westinghouse Electric Corporation Steam Division photograph collection

A Fact History of Westinghouse (for the Golden Jubilee)

Archived April 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

Westinghouse Power Generation Business Unit, A booklet prepared in 1993 as a statement of commitment of the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) to the future of Westinghouse's leading position in the industry