this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2024
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Photography

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Rotary Converter, IRT Subway Substation #13, NYC, 2017.

All the pixels, none of the noise or high voltages, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32992380451

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

NYC's IRT subway, opened in 1904, is powered by a 600 volt DC third rail running alongside the tracks. Power is fed to the system via a number of substations throughout the city, where high voltage AC is converted to the lower voltage DC used by trains.

Until recently, this was done with electromechanical rotary converters (essentially a combination AC motor and DC generator). They are now supplanted by solid state rectifiers, but a few of the original rotary converters remain operational.