Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2020/06/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Alan, Allis Chalmers was a well known name in my line of work. While Westinghouse built the largest of our wind tunnel compressors and motors, most of the next size down, and most of the supporting compressors were made by Allis Chalmers.? I was eventually responsible for operating and maintaining many of those machines.? Our AEDC compressors were delivered and installed in the 1950s, and, to the best of my knowledge, are still operating. They were tough, reliable machines. On 6/17/20 7:26 PM, Alan Magayne-Roshak via LUG wrote: > Allis-Chalmers was one of the largest industrial corporations in Wisconsin > (the city of West Allis was named for it). Its business lines > included agricultural > equipment <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery>, > construction > equipment <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_equipment>, power generation > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_generation> and power > transmission <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_transmission> equipment, > and machinery for use in industrial settings such as factories > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory>, flour mills > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gristmill>, sawmills > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawmill>, textile mills > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_manufacturing>, steel mills > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_mill>, refineries > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refining_(metallurgy)>, mines > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining>, and ore mills > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extractive_metallurgy>, and it produced > munitions in WWII. The main building stretched about five blocks along 70th > street when the company shut down in 1988. Today I had to drive to West > Allis, and saw that the last remaining portion of this structure was being > demolished for condos or apartments. > > View of most of the original building in 1977. > < > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Buildings/Demolished+Buildings/19770210_MR_AllisChalmers_19.jpg.html > View of the last section, 2020. > < > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Buildings/Demolished+Buildings/20200617_MR_AllisChalmers_DSF6864.jpg.html > (In the 80's I met one of A-C's retired photographers, Michael Durante, and > he related tales of shooting the huge turbines, etc. using large format > cameras > and multiple flashbulbs connected by long synch cords. He gave me a > battle-scarred wooden handle from one of his beat-up Pentax 6x7's for me to > use on my mint one.) -- Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA