The soundtrack for this episode comes from Jameson Nathan Jones' album 'Signals'. Give him a listen! open.spotify.com/album/3dDB5GOvwpgqOU5YpDGGyN?si=uCD86_R9TxqgdJp9XEwWjQ
Just a suggestion but you can buy silicone shoe covers that go up to your ankles over your shoes, they fold up small and could be carried in your back packs .
A lot of the control panels and switches look identical to the ones used at the mill I work at which makes sense, the mill I’m at was built in the early 60s
Elmcrest hospital in Portland CT. No one's ever done a decent video of it, despite a rather grisly history, including the staff killing a child. This was more cult than hospital, utilising their own 12 step programs, in-house developed restraint techniques. They made a fortune in the Nancy Reagan era tormenting truant pre-teens. A lot of surviving former patients would love to see it in ruins.
I worked there until 1993. It is so sad to see the condition of things now . We worked so hard to keep Unit 3 operational and reliable. Gould st #3 was the first control room operated plant for BGE where one Control Room Operator ran the boiler and paralleled the generator. That was a departure from the old way the original two units worked where the boiler room operators would bring the boilers to operating pressure, the turbine room operators would roll the units to 3600 rpm and then the switch house operator would parallel the units. These old units have largely been replaced with much more fuel efficient combustion turbines with HRSGs. Thank You for documenting this plant . It was one of the best BGE ever had.
I can't help but wonder what it would be like in the year 2100 when explorers are exploring the modern crap from our era... if it still exists. There will probably be something widely used now that later will be found to be quite dangerous.
This is testimony to 120 year old technology. These people understood electrical engineering far better than we give them credit for. Nameless engineers designed structures, boilers, piping. Take a course in structural analysis, or fluid flow, or thermodynamics, or power engineering and you have a deep respect for these forgotten middle class hero's. We take our modern cities and infrastructure for granted. It may be true that our material knowledge in semiconductors allow us to do so much more with so much less, but they would quickly understand our world as much as we understand theirs. What an amazing walk through. Thank you for posting.
And---That equipment was designed by engineers using slide rules,drawing boards and paper schematics and blueprints.The blueprints and schematics there in piles would be of GREAT interest to someone who appreciates technology of an earlier era-That would be ME included!!Like some of the other things there they could make money selling those things to folks that like going thru technological doco.I LOVE reading things like those!!!!
@@rexoliver7780 As an engineer myself I see it as neglected art. Its not just art, its scientific art with practical purpose, And these works sit, discarded by a society that takes the skills and history for granted. They care nothing for the effort to serve. Its such a miracle that at the end of this symphony of design we can flip a switch and let there be light, or we can plug in a refrigerator to preserve our food, power our computer, wash our clothes, toast our bread. We will only know when it is gone, and there are none of these engineers, material manufacturers, machinists, or technicians to rebuild it.
@πe3 Tell me which part of the video you see the wasted materials. Tell me the design dead and live loads and what are the truss forces. Otherwise you have no idea. What a jackass.
It was also still relatively new as far as engineering disciplines up until then too so I think that aesthetic was even more important to most people working/designing these buildings. And it was of the times I suppose architecturally.
I spent 33 years in a plant like this. They are all so alike . The power plant workers have a culture of their own. Like a big family working weekends days nights and holidays.
@@willgg9096 these plants were meant to be grand and amazing to look at. You walk in there and are amazed at the details and the design of the place. It had to look nice. Nowadays, it's all function. Which I guess is a form of beauty too, but it just doesn't look like that.
@@MultiSpencerc Power Stations don't have to look pretty or attractive at all. The only thing that they need to do is be reliable & produce electricity that's affordable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's it. The power turbines & generators do look impressive even if they are just now non-functioning & rusty as hell. Most people won't even get to see the inside of a power station anyway, unless you obviously work there as a manager or employee. So it doesn't matter if it is pretty or not.
Seems like several explorers are uploading their power plant videos this weekend. But the amount of equipment left behind in this one together with the level of decay is just mind-blowing!
@@kwazhims3lf they converted that station 3 times i think. It was originally coal, then heavy fuel and its last hoorah was gas. They ended up decommissioning the coal side and put a new gas turbine the suffice the peaker status. The company I worked for demoed the coal side HP and LP turbines and the associated wiring, motors and scrap metal. A lot of history is in the place. I found hundreds of pics of the update in the 50s. I gave them to the plant director. Not sure whatever happened to them.
Back then even industrial buildings like this one were built with nice decorative touches like all the carved molding on the walls near the ceiling. Those huge soaring windows too.
Our owners today dont want any of that shit! Helps keep society together when beautiful buildings are being constructed and worked in. Gives people a sense of pride. The square boxes today have no imagination. Thats why every city, state, in america was gone through and all the beautiful buildings were torn down or left to rot. Now everyone hates their jobs, hates where they work, and hates everyone they work with. All by design. WW1 and WW2 wasnt about what we were told, ONVIOUSLY, and by the looks of things did the good guys really win.... If anyone is still brainwashed enough to believe the narrative I implore you to turn your tv off and stop watching your programming for a month. Everything you do and think you get from your TV. You aren't even you and if you could get past your ego youd agree... you're so addicted you could never last a month.
Much of this has to do with the views of the era. At the turn of the century , movements like the "city beautiful movement" pushed for aesthetic beauty in every part of life. The belief that a beautiful environment could help create a cleaner and healthier society and community.
@@mikehunt8375 Much of the issues with the whole square box throwaway architecture began with famous architects like Corbusier and any within the modernist movement (1920s-1960s) . Corbusier's ideas poisoned previous architectural views ,and if you have ever read any of his written works , he wanted to dictate every aspect of a persons life. Modernist thought that by simplifying everything ,they could solve any problem.
Those steam turbines were made right here at The original GE, In Schenectady NY, Right next door to American Locomotive Co. Those were the first of a series of 28 to be sent out of NY that year. Only 2 of those still left in service in the world, they're in Texas.
Gould Street operated as a 'Peaker Plant' only being turned on during periods of high demand over the last decade. It's older design makes it far dirtier than newer plants and it was forced to close so utilities (BGE) could keep their emissions within required state targets. A polluting plant directly next to the city was unwanted.
with water and steam flowing through its veins, the audible breathing coming from the building's native machinery and it is easy to see that the power plant was once alive. Feeling the vibrations coming from the lower levels and hearing the ever present buzzing roar as it traveled through the building and into the streets providing power along the way, it truly was the beating heart of the city. Thanks for the tour and images of yesteryear.
A lot of the wrapped bars are more than likely iron bars. The copper is in the rotor and the armature. But with out using a crane the top half of the turbine is impossible to get to. So the copper in the panels and piping is an atm. Thanks again guys for letting us tag along and see what you see. Just all the trades involved in building any power plant is unreal. But the wood working and masonry work are not like they were like in the old plants.
While seeing the inside of these abandoned places is always interesting, seeing y'all deal with strangers/security increases the entertainment of these videos so much more.
Funny. I, today, am responsible more many more "blank panels" as electrical engineer re-designing control systems for existing mechanical systems. Totally understand the nostalgia and totally understand the 'blanks'. Just the way things go. Can do the same logic on the surface area of a dime that used to require a 12"x12"x12" panel. Onward we collectively go. Very much love the retro things though.
YES-those huge panels full of electromechanical meters and dials no replaced by a touchscreen computer monitor at a single desk!BUT still like all of those analog meters!!!
@@rexoliver7780 But we miss the fun of tapping a gauge that’s stuck only to realize we’re on the brink of a meltdown..As in Jack Lemon in “The China Syndrome”.
Ah museums are a thing of the past.... all they're used for today is indoctrination camps. Besides you think things are ever going back to normal? You're lying to yourself if you think theyre....
Coming from an old pipe fitter, much respect for the guys back in the day, very nice work with a gas torch and simple AcDc welders! Thank you guys for another great adventure!!
I was in an old factory in the UK that had a huge control panel, I got behind it and jokingly pulled a big lever switch. I was horrified by the appearance of a 50Hz hum - it was Live! I heard some mechanical clicking in a distant room and switched it back off quickly! I've seen modern explorers see if there is power in buildings and trying the main power, but as there had probably been copper thieves (English for Scrapper) there could be some exposed cables somewhere in the building. This could start a fire and burn the place down - possibly with some explorers still inside!
The steel in those 1920's era steam turbines is probably more valuable than the copper since it predates the atomic era and is free from radioactive isotopes.
@@woodhonky3890 it certainly is. Infact several WWII shipwrecks in the Pacific have disappeared in the last few years from scrapperss going after pre atomic material.
Yep , radioisotopes from atmospheric testing lead to contamination of modern era iron , low background iron used in requirements needing high sensitivity, measurements
I personally would have saved some of those blueprints or would have at least tried to photograph as many of them as I could so they could be preserved at least for archival purposes
In the 1980s a friend was exploring the Miles Aircraft Factory at the time it was being demolished to be replaced by a housing estate. He found a pile of burnt plans for vairous WW2 Miles Aircraft, all beyond recovery. Historical documents lost forever.
They couldn't linger to thoroughly photo. Too much asbestos in the area. Pity though. As for taking them, there is an unwritten rule amongst explorers NOT to remove items from the place they are exploring. Too much chance of legal repercussions. I know some of the channels do it occasionally anyway, but its not a good idea.
@@Vulpine407 Seeing as there were active scrappers in the area I don't think anyone would have even noticed. Plus if they were returned in the same condition willingly to the proper owner, is it even stealing then?
I agree with leaving artifacts alone for others to find and learn about, but if the place is going to be torn down, then they just left them to be garbage in the demolition. It would also be a little difficult for them to take much of anything! Hopefully one of the demo workers saved them
Really appreciate all the thought that y'all put into the narration. Shows how much you both appreciate these buildings and all the details. Also, I can't help but think of how noisy it must have been in both those buildings.
Those "motors" on the floor below the switch house control room were rotary AC to DC converters for powering DC equipment. Old fashioned motor-generator sets like that were ubiquitous in many high power electronic applications through the 20th century until the rise of solid state rectifiers. Rotary converters came in sizes from small as food cans to large as buildings.
I’ve been in the turbine hall of a Nuclear Station in operation. The noice is deafening. Hearing protection is essential and shouting is the only way to communicate. Mostly from the HP steam flowing, the generator rotor itself is not noticeable. It’s hot in there as well, predictably.
I love how even though there are obviously multiple people in that abandoned place all for different reasons, yet everyone just casually keeps to themselves. Lol. Great new videos by the way!!
Surprisingly not all smashed and destroyed by vandals. I'm always amazed by the amount of time and effort that went into building and operating something like this, not to mention the cost.
At 15:17 the panel shows 3 gauges for AMPS, CYCLES and VOLTS - standard U.S. home outlets are 15 to 20 amps, 60 cycles (Hz) and 120 volts - and below the gauges there is a label that says WARREN CLOCKS. In the early 1900's days, a guy named Henry Warren invented the first AC electricity powered clock, but in order for it to keep time accurately it had to be synchronized to the 60Hz cycle power coming from the power plants. If anything in the power plants had a change in cycles above or below 60Hz it would alter the time in AC clocks in people's homes. So the Warren clocks ended up being used to verify if the power plants were properly generating 60 cycles to the power grid (In those days this was the only way to do it because electric quartz clocks had not been invented yet) Warren clocks regulated almost all of the electrical lines in the U.S. at that time and this panel was probably built so this could be done at the power plant.
So many incredible bits that'll be lost for good - the old warning signs, enamel lampshades, wall clocks, equipment dials & engine plaques etc... such a shame.
Yep, I saw it. Same thing happened at the Avalon Theatre on Catalina Island. (I used to service the film projectors there.) A contactor caught fire and caused a major arc flashover that damaged a lot of the switchboard. I have pics of it somewhere...
The piping and riveted structures seen when walking around the old turbines reminds me a lot of the machinery spaces in the RMS Queen Mary, which was built in the early 1930s.
This is such a treasure to a texturing artist looking for quality references for abandoned machines. I'm sure many will agree. And I thank you guys for this.
Truly stunning piece of industrial heritage, shame that it’s being demolished right know. It’s also quite interesting to compare the US 50s powerplant architecture with the European ones. We in Europe still had quite a bit of details post war well into the 60s weirdly enough. Nevertheless, really cool video. Would love to see more US power stations 👍
I love the power station explorations, I loved the Shorham nuke plant you did a while back, I live right by there. It's a shame it never went online, it cost a fortune and we're still paying for it. It never made any useful power before the protestors won their court battle, had it shut down, then decommissioned.
have you had others when you go on explores say.. "look its the proper people" ? this was a very good detailed video. you guys covered so much in a short time. its a bitter sweet feeling watching how things were then and now its so basic and just functional no flare or frills.. love watching the old hand made designed details.
@MoJean You don't hear about it because it doesn't happen. Nuclear power plants are very safe if managed correctly. Most of the time there is less exposure to radiation inside a nuclear power plant than outside because the walls are normally made of concrete.
An incredible looking place. Those windows make it look like a massive palace. And so much equipment left behind and surprisingly most of it is still intact, especially in the modern section. @23:00: 13.2kV @ 60Hz. I bet the hum in that switchhouse was something to behold. That old Westinghouse device is actually a massive circuit breaker, not a transformer.
I saw this place from I-95 many times growing up in Maryland, and then returning to visit as an adult. Didn't know anything about it, so cool to see inside now!
"We're taking pictures for personal use" - and more than a million subscribers 👀 🤫 These abandoned industrial sites with a history are my favorite explores. Thanks for sharing this one!
Some incredible specimens. Real interesting to see our history. The steam chest on the newer turbine is fairly massive and it shows on the control valves. Thanks guys for the tour. I really enjoy these power plant tours, especially the turbine decks.
This is actually really interesting and relaxing to watch from someone new to the channel. I don't think there's much like this where I live in New Zealand 🌏
Good video-love looking at equipment in power stations and identifying it!Great tour and photo documentation-you caught the pictures of the place before its totally gone-MORE power stations,PLEASE!!
best one yet! I wonder how many people lost their lives at that switch house. Super sketchy back then with high voltage stuff. It could cook you from the inside out in a matter of seconds.
Dont think there were any deaths. These folks knew where the danger existed. I have been around high power transmitters for over 40 years. Danger yes.. actual deaths or injuries ? Zero
I work at the largest coal fired plant in Colorado. Love these videos. Their are 2 abandoned coal fired units in Pueblo, CO that would make for a great video... 🤫
Just want to thank you guys for what you do. You’re preserving history in a way. There’s nothing like these old buildings in comparison to today’s bland cookie cutter structures. So sad they’re not appreciated more and just left to rot.
I sure wish you guys could get into the Ford Rouge power plant, in Dearborn Michigan. Henry Ford built it totally to his likes and specifications around 1919 to 1920. Very ornate brick work on the INSIDE walls. It had a gas and pulverized coal explosion on Feb. 1, 1999 where a total of six men were killed. All due to Ford stubborn refusal to spend a little money to install gas relief valves on the natural gas lines. Thirty pounds of natural gas thru several pipes was released into the boiler that was down for maintenance.
@Michael DeLoatch personally I really try not to, but with such chaos it’s hard to imagine that someone somewhere will trigger humanities next true advancement. We’ve improved on existing such as phones, computers etc. they’ve been around . But something that will change every persons life everywhere for the good
I just watched the documentaries on edison and westinghouse.... both were alive when this plant was online.... impressive equipment.... thank you so much for the tour....
This channel has made me love Urbexing so much, abandoned buildings....I’ve asked for a Abandoned buildings calendar for Xmas lol. On the front of the calendar there is abandoned oil rigs.
I love when you guys explore on abandoned industrial facilities! Specialy Power plants. I'm on the last semesters of Electrical Engineering in Mexico so you might know how deeply I'm interested in power generation. Thank you guys!!
i worked on tv's radios from the 50's & 60's & a/c and appliances from the 70's & 80's when i started i appreciated the simplicity of design and hand made components how it progressed thru the decades. i noticed in the 80's how quality had declined with redesign adding options but losing quality. GE mostly became job security as they were made to fail more over time. its a true shame we cant go back to what was once.. im glad to see some still capture these historic places before they disappear forever.
Had a Westinghouse air conditioner back in the mid-80s. Would get nice and cold on any hot summer day. That thing was built like a tank. It was finally retired not that long ago. The new air conditioners are flimsy junk compared to it.
I'm at the 16:50 minute mark. I feel like those "new" walls that were behind you, were for the " blasting" possibly!! Enjoying the Video!!! I like that people like yourselves, are making documentation of "our" history!! Thank you!!
A place I once worked at had gauges from 1928 that still worked. "The Johnson System" which later became Johnson Controls. The Good Housekeeping symbol was on many products in the 1920s and 30s.
I pass this place everyday on the way to my workshop. I've always admired it and thought what an amazing property it would be to own especially the older brick portions with the skylights. It was operating up until recently. I remember driving home on cold nights and seeing all the lights on and everything buzzing with steam or whatever billowing out of the stacks. I noticed last summer the activity stopped followed by a for sale sign being put up a few months later. Unfortunately they started to demolish parts of it just this past week with the old wrecking ball / crane technique. kinda sad. Also, I've been watching properpeople for a couple years now and just had a feeling they would eventually find this place...well here it is! crown cork and seal factory next?
This pretty cool to see the old boilers still there! As a Boilermaker myself its awesome to see this but also sad because my trade is slowly dying haha awesome vid!!!
i have a question, because you put out content very consistently: are you guys always traveling? do you guys have a permanent residence? kind of personal feel free not to answer, just wondering, thanks for the content (:
Damn, why did I feel like that Harry’s Ad took forever? I thought I was watching a Harry’s documentary lol, even learned about their founding fathers 🙂
That switchhouse is a beauty, those old transformers / breakers, proper old school. Nice to see an example of this type of gear in relatively good condition even if it is being demolished. Excellent video as ever guys
I build electric transformers and we also rebuild old ones and to be honest the old Westinghouse Transformers are by far the best ever built.. most of the ones we Rebuild are from the 1940s and 50's and usually they are still working perfectly when we get them but we tear them apart anyhow.. it's kinda sad
I know I've already said this a couple of times, but your intro is just perfection. Please keep it for as long as possible! Great atmospheric video as usual.
Amazing find very well kept, cant believe how few windows are broke and you guys are very well spoken in and about findings here. Keep up the great work and be safe.
Enjoying your content Proper People! I like the format of explaining the location and its history... more of that would be great! Keep it up and hope you always avoid mean scrappers & security! ;)
Seattle WA has a steam power plant from 1905. It’s being somewhat preserved you can go visit every first Saturday. I photographed a ton of it when I was working on a steampunk illustration book. You should visit!
lol you know they're old when they're actually blue (FYI newer ones are mainly just called prints or drawings instead of blueprints since you don't really often come across blue ones anymore)
Mesmerizing. Evokes a noticeable degree of melancholy. I’m guessing because of the imagined juxtaposition of how it looked, and what it meant 100 years ago and how it looks today. In 100 more years, two guys like you will be doing the same thing in one of today’s state of the art plants. Lots to think about.
You guys are absolutely amazing. I was not even interested I'm this topic whatsoever.... I thought it would be boring.. but man oh man... you do not dissapoint!!! The music was brilliant!!!! Sounds like a machine.. I used to have only hatred for these machines given the state of the earth and climate change... but you guys present this in such a way thay gives me an inside view into the cultures growing population and eternal optimism that society must have had at the time.... a time when they probably had no clue that the earth just may be fragile..... Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A building like this should be allowed to be visually documented before demolition (in detail), in order to preserve every detail. unfortunately , blueprints don't always have enough information to show how a building looked or was to a person.
My dad retired from local 926 operating engineer union out of Atlanta,Ga...he helped build spaghetti junction(or part of it)and then got based at Plant Branch in Milledgeville,Ga...he finished his last 30yrs there at the coal plant....which is why im a Milledgeville born native,and now Electrician myself but not union...they demolished the plant a few years back,but growing up I thought it was there to stay.the crack down on coal got it!!
The soundtrack for this episode comes from Jameson Nathan Jones' album 'Signals'. Give him a listen!
open.spotify.com/album/3dDB5GOvwpgqOU5YpDGGyN?si=uCD86_R9TxqgdJp9XEwWjQ
Just a suggestion but you can buy silicone shoe covers that go up to your ankles over your shoes, they fold up small and could be carried in your back packs
.
A lot of the control panels and switches look identical to the ones used at the mill I work at which makes sense, the mill I’m at was built in the early 60s
Elmcrest hospital in Portland CT. No one's ever done a decent video of it, despite a rather grisly history, including the staff killing a child. This was more cult than hospital, utilising their own 12 step programs, in-house developed restraint techniques. They made a fortune in the Nancy Reagan era tormenting truant pre-teens. A lot of surviving former patients would love to see it in ruins.
You guys should go to Mexico Missouri there's an abandoned brick Factory there and it is huge
There’s a really cool and abandoned high school/middle school in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and has a bunker in it
I worked there until 1993. It is so sad to see the condition of things now . We worked so hard to keep Unit 3 operational and reliable. Gould st #3 was the first control room operated plant for BGE where one Control Room Operator ran the boiler and paralleled the generator. That was a departure from the old way the original two units worked where the boiler room operators would bring the boilers to operating pressure, the turbine room operators would roll the units to 3600 rpm and then the switch house operator would parallel the units.
These old units have largely been replaced with much more fuel efficient combustion turbines with HRSGs.
Thank You for documenting this plant . It was one of the best BGE ever had.
Compared to other Abandoned buildings in Baltimore this is immaculate. 100+ year old buildings really do have a charm to them
It was maintained as a backup gas plant until very recently. I believe the newer turbine they see is the gas turbine
I can't help but wonder what it would be like in the year 2100 when explorers are exploring the modern crap from our era... if it still exists. There will probably be something widely used now that later will be found to be quite dangerous.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja in the next 10/20/30 years we will see a lot of office parks and commercial skyscrapers become abandoned or vacant
That's what happens when you get permission! You get access to places most cannot
Huhhhh
This is testimony to 120 year old technology. These people understood electrical engineering far better than we give them credit for. Nameless engineers designed structures, boilers, piping. Take a course in structural analysis, or fluid flow, or thermodynamics, or power engineering and you have a deep respect for these forgotten middle class hero's. We take our modern cities and infrastructure for granted. It may be true that our material knowledge in semiconductors allow us to do so much more with so much less, but they would quickly understand our world as much as we understand theirs. What an amazing walk through. Thank you for posting.
And---That equipment was designed by engineers using slide rules,drawing boards and paper schematics and blueprints.The blueprints and schematics there in piles would be of GREAT interest to someone who appreciates technology of an earlier era-That would be ME included!!Like some of the other things there they could make money selling those things to folks that like going thru technological doco.I LOVE reading things like those!!!!
@@rexoliver7780 As an engineer myself I see it as neglected art. Its not just art, its scientific art with practical purpose, And these works sit, discarded by a society that takes the skills and history for granted. They care nothing for the effort to serve. Its such a miracle that at the end of this symphony of design we can flip a switch and let there be light, or we can plug in a refrigerator to preserve our food, power our computer, wash our clothes, toast our bread. We will only know when it is gone, and there are none of these engineers, material manufacturers, machinists, or technicians to rebuild it.
@πe3 Tell me which part of the video you see the wasted materials. Tell me the design dead and live loads and what are the truss forces. Otherwise you have no idea. What a jackass.
@@CHAS1422 Very well said 👍👍
It was also still relatively new as far as engineering disciplines up until then too so I think that aesthetic was even more important to most people working/designing these buildings. And it was of the times I suppose architecturally.
I spent 33 years in a plant like this. They are all so alike . The power plant workers have a culture of their own. Like a big family working weekends days nights and holidays.
Very cool buildings, I'd love to have that experience.
Would the top floor control room in the switch building have its own lunch room, restrooms, etc.? It almost seems like the penthouse of the facility!
@@LakeNipissing That's where they used to grow the weed. 👍
It's definitely another family... I've been living it for almost 22 years.
It's definitely another family... I've been living it for almost 22 years.
As a power engineer, I really enjoy and appreciate seeing these old plants. They just don't build them like they used to.
Would you care to elaborate on this statement?
@@willgg9096 these plants were meant to be grand and amazing to look at. You walk in there and are amazed at the details and the design of the place. It had to look nice. Nowadays, it's all function. Which I guess is a form of beauty too, but it just doesn't look like that.
@@MultiSpencerc i agree with ya mate!
@@MultiSpencerc Power Stations don't have to look pretty or attractive at all.
The only thing that they need to do is be reliable & produce electricity that's affordable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
That's it.
The power turbines & generators do look impressive even if they are just now non-functioning & rusty as hell.
Most people won't even get to see the inside of a power station anyway, unless you obviously work there as a manager or employee.
So it doesn't matter if it is pretty or not.
Seems like several explorers are uploading their power plant videos this weekend. But the amount of equipment left behind in this one together with the level of decay is just mind-blowing!
I worked in that station in 2007. My dad was a control room operator. Creepy place for sure. Didnt know it was out of service.
some of the controls on the upper floors were 'locked out' tagged out dated 1986
what was it like there 13 years ago??
@@kwazhims3lf they converted that station 3 times i think. It was originally coal, then heavy fuel and its last hoorah was gas. They ended up decommissioning the coal side and put a new gas turbine the suffice the peaker status. The company I worked for demoed the coal side HP and LP turbines and the associated wiring, motors and scrap metal. A lot of history is in the place. I found hundreds of pics of the update in the 50s. I gave them to the plant director. Not sure whatever happened to them.
Its funny because theres a gauge brand inside the building called "bailey meters" and your name is justin *bailey.*
@@NotoriousMach bailey instrumentation must of been a key player in gauges bc we have them in the station i currently work at
Every scrapper when they think they hear someone, Damn, I think it's The Proper People.
Next... on Hunters of the Proper People.
😆
I'd kms if that was my first thought
@midnitesquirldog1 “if Biden gets elected” lol what a trumptard
@midnitesquirldog1 You mean when Bident takes office... and you think we have a great economy now? Trump trashed it.
The thought of that place in full swing in 1929 is truly magical. Nearly every gauge and switch is a museum piece.
Back then even industrial buildings like this one were built with nice decorative touches like all the carved molding on the walls near the ceiling. Those huge soaring windows too.
Our owners today dont want any of that shit! Helps keep society together when beautiful buildings are being constructed and worked in. Gives people a sense of pride. The square boxes today have no imagination. Thats why every city, state, in america was gone through and all the beautiful buildings were torn down or left to rot. Now everyone hates their jobs, hates where they work, and hates everyone they work with. All by design. WW1 and WW2 wasnt about what we were told, ONVIOUSLY, and by the looks of things did the good guys really win.... If anyone is still brainwashed enough to believe the narrative I implore you to turn your tv off and stop watching your programming for a month. Everything you do and think you get from your TV. You aren't even you and if you could get past your ego youd agree... you're so addicted you could never last a month.
Much of this has to do with the views of the era. At the turn of the century , movements like the "city beautiful movement" pushed for aesthetic beauty in every part of life. The belief that a beautiful environment could help create a cleaner and healthier society and community.
@@mikehunt8375 Much of the issues with the whole square box throwaway architecture began with famous architects like Corbusier and any within the modernist movement (1920s-1960s) . Corbusier's ideas poisoned previous architectural views ,and if you have ever read any of his written works , he wanted to dictate every aspect of a persons life. Modernist thought that by simplifying everything ,they could solve any problem.
@@mikehunt8375 Wendy: "Phone call for a Michael Hunt" "Has anyone seen Mike Hunt?" Classic.
"We're taking pictures for personal use"
*Pictures subsequently seen by a million people on the most popular urbex channel on youtube
Seen for personal use. ;)
Personal use in personal youtube business
Most popular urbex channel?
@@dancer1 Maybe, but one of the highest quality for sure.
It could be the next realty tv show.
I retired from a generating station 20 years ago after working there for 27 years, this video brings back many memories
Those steam turbines were made right here at The original GE, In Schenectady NY, Right next door to American Locomotive Co. Those were the first of a series of 28 to be sent out of NY that year. Only 2 of those still left in service in the world, they're in Texas.
Which plant in Texas?
Cool! I live within half an hour of Schenectady, history in this area is amazing
Meanwhile other urbex channels:
"CAUGHT SCRAPPER IN CREEPY ABANDONED POWER PLANT SCRAPPING!!!"
You forgot the “ALMOST GOT KILLED” part. 😂
@@basshead2003 (GONE WRONG)(POLICE CALLED) 🤯🤯🤯
As the other Urbexers walk around yapping inanely and focus mostly on their faces snd stupid hairstyle!
@@basshead2003 ALMOST GOT COPS CALLED
"COPS CAME" "ALMOST DIED" '3AM" "GONE WRONG" "GONE SEXUAL"
What made it most special is that it wasn’t all vandalized.
Love this one
Until this video was posted.
@@Relentlessxxryan that’s sad
We like that you two pick out the details like the light fixture, beams and rivets thanks.
Gould Street operated as a 'Peaker Plant' only being turned on during periods of high demand over the last decade. It's older design makes it far dirtier than newer plants and it was forced to close so utilities (BGE) could keep their emissions within required state targets. A polluting plant directly next to the city was unwanted.
with water and steam flowing through its veins, the audible breathing coming from the building's native machinery and it is easy to see that the power plant was once alive. Feeling the vibrations coming from the lower levels and hearing the ever present buzzing roar as it traveled through the building and into the streets providing power along the way, it truly was the beating heart of the city. Thanks for the tour and images of yesteryear.
A lot of the wrapped bars are more than likely iron bars. The copper is in the rotor and the armature. But with out using a crane the top half of the turbine is impossible to get to. So the copper in the panels and piping is an atm. Thanks again guys for letting us tag along and see what you see. Just all the trades involved in building any power plant is unreal. But the wood working and masonry work are not like they were like in the old plants.
While seeing the inside of these abandoned places is always interesting, seeing y'all deal with strangers/security increases the entertainment of these videos so much more.
Funny. I, today, am responsible more many more "blank panels" as electrical engineer re-designing control systems for existing mechanical systems. Totally understand the nostalgia and totally understand the 'blanks'. Just the way things go. Can do the same logic on the surface area of a dime that used to require a 12"x12"x12" panel. Onward we collectively go. Very much love the retro things though.
YES-those huge panels full of electromechanical meters and dials no replaced by a touchscreen computer monitor at a single desk!BUT still like all of those analog meters!!!
@@rexoliver7780 But we miss the fun of tapping a gauge that’s stuck only to realize we’re on the brink of a meltdown..As in Jack Lemon in “The China Syndrome”.
Places like these should be preserved as Museums. Machinery that old and that complex is definitely worth taking a look at
Ah museums are a thing of the past.... all they're used for today is indoctrination camps. Besides you think things are ever going back to normal? You're lying to yourself if you think theyre....
Coming from an old pipe fitter, much respect for the guys back in the day, very nice work with a gas torch and simple AcDc welders! Thank you guys for another great adventure!!
Proper people: Look a high voltage switch *flicks* does nothing of course.
The scraper: *screams in electrocuted*
I was in an old factory in the UK that had a huge control panel, I got behind it and jokingly pulled a big lever switch. I was horrified by the appearance of a 50Hz hum - it was Live! I heard some mechanical clicking in a distant room and switched it back off quickly! I've seen modern explorers see if there is power in buildings and trying the main power, but as there had probably been copper thieves (English for Scrapper) there could be some exposed cables somewhere in the building. This could start a fire and burn the place down - possibly with some explorers still inside!
I laughed WAY too hard at this. My God. HAHAHA.
@@nickbenke3306 That sounds insane but cool tbh haha!
Guy should be arrested, thats stealing
😄
The steel in those 1920's era steam turbines is probably more valuable than the copper since it predates the atomic era and is free from radioactive isotopes.
Is that a thing? Now I'm curious.
@@woodhonky3890 it certainly is. Infact several WWII shipwrecks in the Pacific have disappeared in the last few years from scrapperss going after pre atomic material.
Yep , radioisotopes from atmospheric testing lead to contamination of modern era iron , low background iron used in requirements needing high sensitivity, measurements
I personally would have saved some of those blueprints or would have at least tried to photograph as many of them as I could so they could be preserved at least for archival purposes
In the 1980s a friend was exploring the Miles Aircraft Factory at the time it was being demolished to be replaced by a housing estate. He found a pile of burnt plans for vairous WW2 Miles Aircraft, all beyond recovery. Historical documents lost forever.
They couldn't linger to thoroughly photo. Too much asbestos in the area. Pity though.
As for taking them, there is an unwritten rule amongst explorers NOT to remove items from the place they are exploring. Too much chance of legal repercussions. I know some of the channels do it occasionally anyway, but its not a good idea.
@@Vulpine407 This is true, but I would absolutely spend an entire day just photographing old documents, etc..
@@Vulpine407 Seeing as there were active scrappers in the area I don't think anyone would have even noticed. Plus if they were returned in the same condition willingly to the proper owner, is it even stealing then?
I agree with leaving artifacts alone for others to find and learn about, but if the place is going to be torn down, then they just left them to be garbage in the demolition. It would also be a little difficult for them to take much of anything! Hopefully one of the demo workers saved them
Your work is incredible. I can see this footage being archaeological worthy for future generations... Amazing glimpses into the past.
Really appreciate all the thought that y'all put into the narration. Shows how much you both appreciate these buildings and all the details. Also, I can't help but think of how noisy it must have been in both those buildings.
Those "motors" on the floor below the switch house control room were rotary AC to DC converters for powering DC equipment. Old fashioned motor-generator sets like that were ubiquitous in many high power electronic applications through the 20th century until the rise of solid state rectifiers. Rotary converters came in sizes from small as food cans to large as buildings.
I’ve been in the turbine hall of a Nuclear Station in operation. The noice is deafening. Hearing protection is essential and shouting is the only way to communicate. Mostly from the HP steam flowing, the generator rotor itself is not noticeable. It’s hot in there as well, predictably.
I really appreciate what y'all are doing. You have saved so many buildings from being lost. They may be destroyed but the video remains.
I think it's criminal how they demolish fantastic buildings which have great architecture, the builders of today just build box standard shite.
I know. Imagine it as a cool restaurant, fire house, or even just storage for the city's equipment.
same
Same
@@GreenRiver72 brewery would be so rad
@@leakesonasucs why is it right to desttory this building
Stills of the control rooms would make interesting backgrounds for Zoom calls.
I love how even though there are obviously multiple people in that abandoned place all for different reasons, yet everyone just casually keeps to themselves. Lol. Great new videos by the way!!
Surprisingly not all smashed and destroyed by vandals. I'm always amazed by the amount of time and effort that went into building and operating something like this, not to mention the cost.
At 15:17 the panel shows 3 gauges for AMPS, CYCLES and VOLTS - standard U.S. home outlets are 15 to 20 amps, 60 cycles (Hz) and 120 volts - and below the gauges there is a label that says WARREN CLOCKS. In the early 1900's days, a guy named Henry Warren invented the first AC electricity powered clock, but in order for it to keep time accurately it had to be synchronized to the 60Hz cycle power coming from the power plants. If anything in the power plants had a change in cycles above or below 60Hz it would alter the time in AC clocks in people's homes. So the Warren clocks ended up being used to verify if the power plants were properly generating 60 cycles to the power grid (In those days this was the only way to do it because electric quartz clocks had not been invented yet) Warren clocks regulated almost all of the electrical lines in the U.S. at that time and this panel was probably built so this could be done at the power plant.
So many incredible bits that'll be lost for good - the old warning signs, enamel lampshades, wall clocks, equipment dials & engine plaques etc... such a shame.
Being an electrician, I could spend days wandering around and exploring a place like that.
Me too! Absolutely fascinating.
Same!
I’m sure we’d all get a charge out of the experience. Sorry, don’t want to be revolting. I can feel the resistance, so I’ll go ohm. Stay positive.
@@tomrogers9467 Lol......good one!
@@tomrogers9467 A shockingly bad use of puns, my friend.
Cleaner in there than most of the streets of Baltimore
Did you see the smoke damage at 15:17 from the coils of the relay catching fire and smoking up the gauge?
Yep, I saw it. Same thing happened at the Avalon Theatre on Catalina Island. (I used to service the film projectors there.) A contactor caught fire and caused a major arc flashover that damaged a lot of the switchboard. I have pics of it somewhere...
The piping and riveted structures seen when walking around the old turbines reminds me a lot of the machinery spaces in the RMS Queen Mary, which was built in the early 1930s.
This is such a treasure to a texturing artist looking for quality references for abandoned machines. I'm sure many will agree. And I thank you guys for this.
Truly stunning piece of industrial heritage, shame that it’s being demolished right know. It’s also quite interesting to compare the US 50s powerplant architecture with the European ones. We in Europe still had quite a bit of details post war well into the 60s weirdly enough. Nevertheless, really cool video. Would love to see more US power stations 👍
Oh there are some 50s and 60s power plants that are quite nice here in the US, this was just a very utilitarian example.
@@TheProperPeople Ah good to hear, then it probably just depended on the company/location
Yes you guys made it in!! They started demolition today
What a WAST.....😭
I love the power station explorations, I loved the Shorham nuke plant you did a while back, I live right by there. It's a shame it never went online, it cost a fortune and we're still paying for it. It never made any useful power before the protestors won their court battle, had it shut down, then decommissioned.
have you had others when you go on explores say.. "look its the proper people" ? this was a very good detailed video. you guys covered so much in a short time. its a bitter sweet feeling watching how things were then and now its so basic and just functional no flare or frills.. love watching the old hand made designed details.
Your intro sound is simply the best and the melodies played in the video are also permanent
top and matching! Thanks for your very good work!
I’ve passed this building every day on my way to work for years, and have always wondered what’s inside. Thank you for this ❤️
I would so want to visit such a plant while it's operating...
If it’s a nuclear power plant I wouldn’t
Make sure to bring some earplugs unless you enjoy deafness.
@MoJean You don't hear about it because it doesn't happen. Nuclear power plants are very safe if managed correctly. Most of the time there is less exposure to radiation inside a nuclear power plant than outside because the walls are normally made of concrete.
@MoJean the only time there would be any dangerous radiation exposure would be in the case of a terrible accident.
@@Fx1240 my uncle worked in an old coal powered plant and he had lung cancer while working
An incredible looking place. Those windows make it look like a massive palace. And so much equipment left behind and surprisingly most of it is still intact, especially in the modern section.
@23:00: 13.2kV @ 60Hz. I bet the hum in that switchhouse was something to behold. That old Westinghouse device is actually a massive circuit breaker, not a transformer.
I saw this place from I-95 many times growing up in Maryland, and then returning to visit as an adult. Didn't know anything about it, so cool to see inside now!
sad to see it demolished, it was one of the most visible landmarks on the highway
"We're taking pictures for personal use" - and more than a million subscribers 👀 🤫
These abandoned industrial sites with a history are my favorite explores. Thanks for sharing this one!
Some incredible specimens. Real interesting to see our history. The steam chest on the newer turbine is fairly massive and it shows on the control valves. Thanks guys for the tour. I really enjoy these power plant tours, especially the turbine decks.
This just made my day! I needed a Proper fix!
Love how human beings always have the funds to build new things but never to demolish old unless forced
Miss your 4k UHD videos, they add allot to these old buildings, the detail.
I managed to slip in and urbex this place before the crews started showing up. I hate to see it torn down, it was so interesting.
This is actually really interesting and relaxing to watch from someone new to the channel. I don't think there's much like this where I live in New Zealand 🌏
Good video-love looking at equipment in power stations and identifying it!Great tour and photo documentation-you caught the pictures of the place before its totally gone-MORE power stations,PLEASE!!
best one yet! I wonder how many people lost their lives at that switch house. Super sketchy back then with high voltage stuff. It could cook you from the inside out in a matter of seconds.
Dont think there were any deaths. These folks knew where the danger existed. I have been around high power transmitters for over 40 years. Danger yes.. actual deaths or injuries ? Zero
I work at the largest coal fired plant in Colorado. Love these videos.
Their are 2 abandoned coal fired units in Pueblo, CO that would make for a great video... 🤫
(25:55) you are in the 132kvolt section... 132 kilovolts can jump 13.2 inches to ground!
Just want to thank you guys for what you do. You’re preserving history in a way. There’s nothing like these old buildings in comparison to today’s bland cookie cutter structures. So sad they’re not appreciated more and just left to rot.
Please take advantage of being in Baltimore! So many crazy abandoned places.
I sure wish you guys could get into the Ford Rouge power plant, in Dearborn Michigan. Henry Ford built it totally to his likes and specifications around 1919 to 1920. Very ornate brick work on the INSIDE walls. It had a gas and pulverized coal explosion on Feb. 1, 1999 where a total of six men were killed. All due to Ford stubborn refusal to spend a little money to install gas relief valves on the natural gas lines. Thirty pounds of natural gas thru several pipes was released into the boiler that was down for maintenance.
An electrical cathedral, humanity had such promise.
Had is apt
Biblical and trippy... I like it 👍
Now to be replaced with the pagan solar and wind gods
Almost sounds like a haiku
@Michael DeLoatch personally I really try not to, but with such chaos it’s hard to imagine that someone somewhere will trigger humanities next true advancement. We’ve improved on existing such as phones, computers etc. they’ve been around . But something that will change every persons life everywhere for the good
I just watched the documentaries on edison and westinghouse.... both were alive when this plant was online.... impressive equipment.... thank you so much for the tour....
This channel has made me love Urbexing so much, abandoned buildings....I’ve asked for a Abandoned buildings calendar for Xmas lol. On the front of the calendar there is abandoned oil rigs.
I love when you guys explore on abandoned industrial facilities! Specialy Power plants. I'm on the last semesters of Electrical Engineering in Mexico so you might know how deeply I'm interested in power generation. Thank you guys!!
Back when the General Electric and Westinghouse brand names meant something.
They still mean something
I Understand what you mean.
i worked on tv's radios from the 50's & 60's & a/c and appliances from the 70's & 80's when i started i appreciated the simplicity of design and hand made components how it progressed thru the decades. i noticed in the 80's how quality had declined with redesign adding options but losing quality. GE mostly became job security as they were made to fail more over time. its a true shame we cant go back to what was once.. im glad to see some still capture these historic places before they disappear forever.
People barely even talk about George Westinghouse it's crazy really
Had a Westinghouse air conditioner back in the mid-80s. Would get nice and cold on any hot summer day. That thing was built like a tank. It was finally retired not that long ago. The new air conditioners are flimsy junk compared to it.
I'm at the 16:50 minute mark. I feel like those "new" walls that were behind you, were for the " blasting" possibly!! Enjoying the Video!!! I like that people like yourselves, are making documentation of "our" history!! Thank you!!
I remember passing by this on the highway and wishing you guys did a video on it. but I guess my wish was granted
A place I once worked at had gauges from 1928 that still worked. "The Johnson System" which later became Johnson Controls.
The Good Housekeeping symbol was on many products in the 1920s and 30s.
super cool, i hope they salvage the generators, They belong in a museum.
I pass this place everyday on the way to my workshop. I've always admired it and thought what an amazing property it would be to own especially the older brick portions with the skylights. It was operating up until recently. I remember driving home on cold nights and seeing all the lights on and everything buzzing with steam or whatever billowing out of the stacks. I noticed last summer the activity stopped followed by a for sale sign being put up a few months later. Unfortunately they started to demolish parts of it just this past week with the old wrecking ball / crane technique. kinda sad.
Also, I've been watching properpeople for a couple years now and just had a feeling they would eventually find this place...well here it is! crown cork and seal factory next?
This pretty cool to see the old boilers still there! As a Boilermaker myself its awesome to see this but also sad because my trade is slowly dying haha awesome vid!!!
Yeah it's sad so many jobs don't exist any longer..
Come to Boston, fix our main flame fail. We've been getting alarms all month!
I used to work on some old apartment buildings. The boiler I'm the basement of one of them was absolutely stunning! Thank you for keeping it alive
Good thing you guys got to explore this power plant before demo really started. I drove by it a week ago and they’ve already knocked down one building
Definitely wouldn't mind having some of those gauges, light fixtures, and mechanical levers.
me and my girlfriend were watching this and she fell asleep in my arms from the soothing talking and music, i love this channel!
i have a question, because you put out content very consistently: are you guys always traveling? do you guys have a permanent residence? kind of personal feel free not to answer, just wondering, thanks for the content (:
Hey, I use Harry’s! They’re definitely the best razors I’ve ever used. Nice to see a sponsor I actually like!
Damn, why did I feel like that Harry’s Ad took forever? I thought I was watching a Harry’s documentary lol, even learned about their founding fathers 🙂
Just press L about five times
That switchhouse is a beauty, those old transformers / breakers, proper old school. Nice to see an example of this type of gear in relatively good condition even if it is being demolished. Excellent video as ever guys
I build electric transformers and we also rebuild old ones and to be honest the old Westinghouse Transformers are by far the best ever built.. most of the ones we Rebuild are from the 1940s and 50's and usually they are still working perfectly when we get them but we tear them apart anyhow.. it's kinda sad
I know I've already said this a couple of times, but your intro is just perfection. Please keep it for as long as possible! Great atmospheric video as usual.
There’s a really cool and abandoned high school/middle school in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and has a bunker in it
A fantastic place, with minimal grafiti. The old dials on the panels were amazing. This is from a time when they build things to last.
I got my wisdom teeth removed today and I need to distract myself. This came at the perfect time! Always love your videos :)
Yikes, the worst! Keep ahead of the pain, believe me!
Keep ahead of the pain!
The awesome pain killers weren't distracting enough?
@@Trainy2 I live in the Netherlands so it's local anaesthesia only. If only I was as high as a kite right now...
Rinse with salt water often and don't use a straw
Amazing find very well kept, cant believe how few windows are broke and you guys are very well spoken in and about findings here. Keep up the great work and be safe.
Enjoying your content Proper People! I like the format of explaining the location and its history... more of that would be great! Keep it up and hope you always avoid mean scrappers & security! ;)
Seattle WA has a steam power plant from 1905. It’s being somewhat preserved you can go visit every first Saturday. I photographed a ton of it when I was working on a steampunk illustration book. You should visit!
lol you know they're old when they're actually blue (FYI newer ones are mainly just called prints or drawings instead of blueprints since you don't really often come across blue ones anymore)
Mesmerizing. Evokes a noticeable degree of melancholy. I’m guessing because of the imagined juxtaposition of how it looked, and what it meant 100 years ago and how it looks today. In 100 more years, two guys like you will be doing the same thing in one of today’s state of the art plants. Lots to think about.
When The Proper People uploads a new video but you have to go to work soon.... see you guys at around 2-3am EST
You guys are absolutely amazing. I was not even interested I'm this topic whatsoever.... I thought it would be boring.. but man oh man... you do not dissapoint!!!
The music was brilliant!!!! Sounds like a machine..
I used to have only hatred for these machines given the state of the earth and climate change... but you guys present this in such a way thay gives me an inside view into the cultures growing population and eternal optimism that society must have had at the time.... a time when they probably had no clue that the earth just may be fragile.....
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
those motors up at the at the top are phase convertors!
Yup!
As a retired coal power plant operator I find your videos so interesting..Great Job y’all do !!!
Michael DeLoatch sadly both !
Those blue prints should be preserved in an archive somewhere.
A building like this should be allowed to be visually documented before demolition (in detail), in order to preserve every detail. unfortunately , blueprints don't always have enough information to show how a building looked or was to a person.
My dad retired from local 926 operating engineer union out of Atlanta,Ga...he helped build spaghetti junction(or part of it)and then got based at Plant Branch in Milledgeville,Ga...he finished his last 30yrs there at the coal plant....which is why im a Milledgeville born native,and now Electrician myself but not union...they demolished the plant a few years back,but growing up I thought it was there to stay.the crack down on coal got it!!