Saw a really old Otis traction machine still running in a 1920s building downtown

I was doing a call at the old Masonic Temple building in the city center yesterday. In the machine room, they've still got the original Otis traction unit from when the place was built, I'd guess around 1928. The thing is massive, all cast iron and open gears, and it's just humming along. The maintenance log showed a full bearing replacement about ten years back, but otherwise it's original. It got me thinking about how much simpler the engineering was back then, even if it's a beast to work on. For the guys who've been in the trade a long time, what's the oldest piece of gear you've seen still in daily service?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagecooper4d ago

Remember to check the condition of the governor rope on a unit that old. They can look fine but the core gets brittle. I had one snap during a test, and it's a long, messy job to re-thread it through the sheaves. Keep a close eye on the motor brushes too, they wear down to nothing and can score the commutator if you're not careful.

john_fisher4d ago

That's awesome. They really don't build them like that anymore.

corap214d ago

They really don't build them like that" reminds me of my grandpa's old truck. He'd say the same thing while patting the fender.