Cos Cob Power Station was a historic power station near the

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...

tracks, the

Mianus River The Mianus River is a river in Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut, in the United States. It begins in the town of North Castle, New York (east of Armonk) in a series of ponds at about altitude. Flowing northeast i ...

and Sound Shore Drive in the

Cos Cob Cos Cob is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is located on the Connecticut shoreline in southern Fairfield County. It had a population of 6,770 at the 2010 census. Cos Cob is located on the west ...

area of

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

The Spanish Revival style station building of 1907 was significant as part of the first mainline railroad electrification in the United States, using

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

(AC) electrification. The New York City subway systems and a Hudson River railroad line used lower voltage

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...

(DC) electrification, but for longer distances that would mean high transmission losses or frequent and closely spaced substations. A 1903 New York State law prohibited the use of steam locomotives in New York City. The New Haven line of the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

ran commuter trains into the city, and electrification all the way to New Haven would avoid massive congestion and delays to commuter trains if locomotives were changed at the New York City limits or at

Stamford, CT Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

. The "New Haven" chose AC electrification as proposed by Baldwin-Westinghouse, with locomotives which could operate on the third-rail DC system within city limits, and the AC system on the main line. The plant was built by Westinghouse in 1907 in Mission Style, and was located where the Mianus River empties into the Cos Cob Harbor of Long Island Sound. The plant used coal-fired steam turbines, and the three-phase alternators supplied single-phase power at 11 kV 25 Hz directly to the catenary. They also supplied power to the

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

's Port Morris generating station to compensate the NYC for power consumed by New Haven trains on the NYC's third-rail supplied line to the

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

within the city limits. The station was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1982 by the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

. The power station was decommissioned in 1986-87. and The plant was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1990, but despite the listing and local and national debate, the plant was demolished in 2001. Part of the site is now a public park, and a plaque commemorating the plant is located at the nearby Cos Cob Railroad Station.

References

External links

* ** ** {{National Register of Historic Places, state=collapsed Power stations in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Greenwich, Connecticut Former coal-fired power stations in the United States Long Island Sound New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places Energy infrastructure completed in 1907 Transport infrastructure completed in 1907 Buildings and structures demolished in 2001 Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut Demolished buildings and structures in Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places Former power stations in Connecticut

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Further reading

External links