IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2015 - 91
traction motors with the use of gears for
his "wheelbarrow" suspension system.
The problems and challenges of
installing the first trolley system were
far more than I imagined, and the book
thoroughly covers how these problems
surfaced and how Sprague and his company mitigated them. The gradual improvements and success at Richmond
led to other electrification projects,
which are discussed in this volume.
The competition between Sprague's
company and the Thompson Houston
Company is very interesting and well
explained. Sprague's major operational
improvement regarding the utilization
of motors in multiple-drive units is discussed, and his accomplishments with
vertical railways (or elevators) are covered in one of the chapters.
Sprague's major operational improvement regarding the utilization of motors on multiple-drive units is discussed
along with a design drawing. This led to
considerable success with several other
may/june 2015
major projects, including one in London,
which are detailed. I found it very interesting to read about his interaction with
other companies such as Westinghouse,
Stanley Electric, and General Electric.
I was not aware of the degree of
Sprague's involvement in the war effort,
which started with the Spanish American War and ended with World War I.
The book explains Sprague's participation in the Naval Advisory Board,
which was a key organization that advanced the technology of the Navy. I
did not know that Sprague had made
improvements in depth charges that apparently mitigated the dangerous German submarine threat and was unaware
of the significant contributions he made
to the advancement of naval technology.
The concluding chapter is appropriately named "The Habit of a Lifetime."
It explains how Sprague maintained his
relentless efforts in railroad electrification after he sold his company to General Electric. The book concludes with an
emotional recap of a well-attended 75th
birthday party in 1932 at the Engineering Societies building in New York City.
The book has an extensive appendix
of various correspondences involving
Sprague, which are very interesting.
The book left no doubt in my mind that
Frank Julian Sprague should be considered the father of electric traction. He
certainly deserves to be considered in
the company of Edison, Tesla, Stanley,
Steinmetz, Thompson, and others.
This volume, which will now reside in
the student library at Northwest Lineman
College, is a quick read and does not consist of excessive technical details. It is a
must read for anyone interested in the birth
of electric traction and the career of Frank
Julian Sprague. I wish to express my appreciation to Associate Editor Carl Sulzberger for providing me the opportunity to
read the book and provide this review.
-Alan Drew
p&e
ieee power & energy magazine
91
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