1955 Westinghouse Gearless Traction Elevator Machine Room with SC-RSBL Controller (Signal Control)

This was definitely a cool experience! This is a 1955 Westinghouse Gearless Traction Machine with an RSBL (ROTOTROL SPLIT BRIDGE LEVELING) Controller. This elevator has one of the coolest controllers I’ve come across and this does operate semi automatic, Westinghouse’s signal control model.

[@TheTheo58]

This is an amazing built strong as a battle ship elevator, a massive DC gear-less traction machine, with the original floor relays and unique floor selector. That is some fine engineering. The MG sets were five or six floors below the WTC machine room.

[@davidhorner5655]

The sound of the relays pulling in on the start will be forever burned into my brain. First route I had was absolutely loaded with RSBLs. Very advanced equipment, difficult to troubleshoot at first, but with time they started making sense.

[@upanddownadventures]

Were they "Signal Control", or "semi-automatic" type elevators (like this one is)? With the lever in the car to open/close the doors (a trained elevator operator is required), but with "pop out" type floor buttons.

[@davidhorner5655]

Fully automatic with Mk IV dispatch panels. The Mk IV was a whole different ball game, hard to learn how to troubleshoot.

[@mannyistheman2221]

These are amazing Westinghouse Elevators! These beauties were built to last. Nothing like this will ever be made again. These elevators were manufactured at the Westinghouse plant in Pittsburgh. This is real quality and you feel like you're writing a real elevator that is strong and stable. A lot of the stuff that's made today is useless junk.

[@TheTheo58]

The MRL elevator with flat belts in my apt. complex is less than 10 yrs old. It's broken down at least 8 times over the 18 month I've lived here. The last time a new tenant was moving a couch onto the elevator it banged the top of the cab, damaging an interlock on the escape hatch. Was out of service for two days!

[@CGT80]

Cool! it reminds me of the relays in my TIG welder, a 1965 Miller 330abp. Two of my air compressors are Westinghouse Air Brake Company units. One is from 1947 is is small at 1.5 hp and maybe 6 cfm and the other is a shop sized 2AVC or 400 5hp (109 pound 213 frame baldor motor) and 17.3 rated cfm and 20 cfm average at 175psi. The bigger one has an oil pump in it with unloaders in the heads and if built like a tank.....or train. Thanks for sharing!

[@Andrea-gr3cu]

Grande! Questa era vera arte! Meccanica eterna fatta per durare, cura di montaggio e dei dettagli, su questi impianti è un piacere fare manutenzione.

[@ECFE]

You've got some balls of steel my guy

[@ThePrasad_Diamond]

Wow! Absolutely amazing!

[@DieselDucy]

This is amazing.

[@machobunny1]

I didn't realize how primitive 1955 was. Oh I was here, then, but it all seemed so "modern" at the time.

[@CompTechs]

Oh boy this video is going to do well.

[@harrisonaparin244]

That is definitely one of the coolest things i've seen in an elevator machine room. Fantastic find @PAelevators.

[@Chad-Giga.]

The relays are like a mini version of the elevator

[@electrocow4511]

Pretty cool.

[@CenTexElevators489]

Interesting machine room and very interesting selector system. So, I guess the clicking frame selector would be the Westinghouse equivalent to the Otis Pie-Plate and Dover Composite selectors. Also, it's kind of surprising that these elevators run off AC, rather than DC with a motor generator.

[@PAelevators]

These do run off generators. They we’re just a floor below in another room.

[@fsj197811]

Super cool ! And obviously not a place to let people who don't know about electricity and/or have curious finger.