Anthony Reckenzaun
Encyclopedia
Anthony Reckenzaun was an electrical engineer
who worked in the UK and the US.
Reckenzaun worked on electric tramcars
and electric boat
s. He is probably best known for applying worm gear drive to tramcars. This was not a great success on full-size vehicles but was later very widely used on electrically powered model railway
locomotives.
, Austria
in 1850 and died of consumption
at his home in Stockwell
, London
at 2 a.m. on 11 November 1893. He was 43 years old.
At an early age he had first-hand opportunities of practical engineering, seeing the operations in the ironworks
of his father who carried out large contracts for brewery
plants, tanneries
, buildings and railway materials - especially for the Hungarian
railways. After receiving a practical education at the Technical School
in Graz
, and with a view to widening his engineering
knowledge, he moved to England in 1872.
manufacturers and marine engineers
of London
. When John Richard Ravenhill left the partnership
in 1875, the business transferred to the works of his former co-partners, Messrs Easton and Anderson of Erith
, Kent - engineers, millwright
s, and lead pipe manufacturers, and Reckenzaun followed the firm.
In connection with the Erith
ironworks
, Reckenzaun established evening classes for the workmen, lecturing in machine construction and drawing, and steam
. First, however, he had to qualify himself under the rules of the South Kensington
Science and Art Department
in these subjects, which he took with first class honours. Afterwards he attended the course of lectures given to qualified science teachers at the Royal School of Mines
in 1877 and 1879. Again he obtained first class passes in steam and mechanics
.
and attended Professor William Edward Ayrton
's lectures at Finsbury Technical College which later became the City and Guilds
. At the time of his death he was vice-president of the Old Students' Association of that body.
He returned to Paris for the 1881 exhibition, studying the electrical exhibits at the Palais d'Industrie
over three months. When he returned to England
, he briefly joined the Faure Electric Accumulator Company before accepting the post of engineer
to the Electrical Power Storage Company.
In connection with the E.P.S. company he undertook much original and pioneering work on various forms of electric traction. In 1882 he designed the first significant electric launch driven by storage batteries, named 'Electricity
' Soon afterwards he was building an electric tramcar which was exhibited in March 1883 on the West Metropolitan Tramways Company's line in London
.
From 1884 onwards Reckenzaun continued his electrical work independently, to build boats, cars and electric motor
s for various purposes. He conducted numerous investigations into electric traction and patent
ed improvements in secondary batteries, electric motors, electric meters and related devices. He was an early electric motor
designer and, paid particular attention to bogie cars and worm-gear in this connection. This was not a great success on full-size vehicles but was later very widely used on electrically powered model railway
locomotives.
His storage battery tramcars were tried out on a number of tramlines, in the U.K. but mainly in the US
, where his inventions were assigned to the Electric Car Company of America and his brother Frederick Reckenzaun, based in New York
developed associated electrical businesses and was his representative there.
His traction motors were applied to the first large scale telpherage system for the Sussex
Portland Cement Company at Glynde
in 1885. The telpher
age system, had originally been tested on the estate of Mr M.R. Pryor at Weston
, Somerset
and also a line in Peru
by Professor Fleeming Jenkin
in association with Professors William Edward Ayrton
and John Perry
and the Telpherage Company, Limited.
Perhaps one of his most noteworthy developments came in electric launches. On 13 September 1886 the boat 'Volta' made the double voyage from Dover
to Calais
and back. He also built perhaps the first significant electric boat in the United States, named 'Magnet
'.
.
On 1 November 1887 he was elected an Associate Member, and on 6 December the same year, a full member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
In 1889 he was elected to the Society of Telegraph-Engineers and Electricians
now the Institution of Engineering and Technology
. In December 1892 the I.E.E. awarded him the Paris Electrical Exhibition Premium for his paper on 'Load diagrams and the cost of electric traction'.
He also gave papers at the British Association, the American National Electric Light Association and the Vienna Electro-Technical Society.
In later years he associated himself with the General Electric Company and Greenwood and Batley and was a regular contributor to the electrical journals of the day. He published a collection of much of his work on electric traction was published in 1892 by Biggs & Co, London, entitled 'Electric traction on railways and tramways'.
inventors Magnus Volk
and Moritz Immisch
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
who worked in the UK and the US.
Reckenzaun worked on electric tramcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and electric boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
s. He is probably best known for applying worm gear drive to tramcars. This was not a great success on full-size vehicles but was later very widely used on electrically powered model railway
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
locomotives.
Early life and education
Born in GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1850 and died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
at his home in Stockwell
Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at 2 a.m. on 11 November 1893. He was 43 years old.
At an early age he had first-hand opportunities of practical engineering, seeing the operations in the ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
of his father who carried out large contracts for brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
plants, tanneries
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, buildings and railway materials - especially for the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
railways. After receiving a practical education at the Technical School
Technical school
Technical school is a general term used for two-year college which provide mostly employment-preparation skills for trained labor, such as welding, culinary arts and office management.-Associations supporting technical schools:...
in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, and with a view to widening his engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
knowledge, he moved to England in 1872.
Life and work in England
He was first employed by Messrs Ravenhill, Miller & Co, the noted steam engineSteam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
manufacturers and marine engineers
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When John Richard Ravenhill left the partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
in 1875, the business transferred to the works of his former co-partners, Messrs Easton and Anderson of Erith
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
, Kent - engineers, millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
s, and lead pipe manufacturers, and Reckenzaun followed the firm.
In connection with the Erith
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
, Reckenzaun established evening classes for the workmen, lecturing in machine construction and drawing, and steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
. First, however, he had to qualify himself under the rules of the South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
Science and Art Department
Science and Art Department
The Science and Art Department was a British government body which functioned from 1853 to 1899, promoting education in art, science, technology and design in Britain and Ireland....
in these subjects, which he took with first class honours. Afterwards he attended the course of lectures given to qualified science teachers at the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
in 1877 and 1879. Again he obtained first class passes in steam and mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
.
Electrical engineering work
After visiting the Paris Exposition of 1878, he determined to pursue a career in electrical engineeringElectrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and attended Professor William Edward Ayrton
William Edward Ayrton
-See also:*Henry Dyer*John Milne*Anglo-Japanese relations...
's lectures at Finsbury Technical College which later became the City and Guilds
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
. At the time of his death he was vice-president of the Old Students' Association of that body.
He returned to Paris for the 1881 exhibition, studying the electrical exhibits at the Palais d'Industrie
Palais d'Industrie
The Palais de l'Industrie was an exhibition hall erected for the Paris World Fair in 1855. The first building on the site with this name was erected in 1839. It was replaced for subsequent exhibitions in 1844 and 1849...
over three months. When he returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he briefly joined the Faure Electric Accumulator Company before accepting the post of engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
to the Electrical Power Storage Company.
In connection with the E.P.S. company he undertook much original and pioneering work on various forms of electric traction. In 1882 he designed the first significant electric launch driven by storage batteries, named 'Electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
' Soon afterwards he was building an electric tramcar which was exhibited in March 1883 on the West Metropolitan Tramways Company's line in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
From 1884 onwards Reckenzaun continued his electrical work independently, to build boats, cars and electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s for various purposes. He conducted numerous investigations into electric traction and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed improvements in secondary batteries, electric motors, electric meters and related devices. He was an early electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
designer and, paid particular attention to bogie cars and worm-gear in this connection. This was not a great success on full-size vehicles but was later very widely used on electrically powered model railway
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
locomotives.
His storage battery tramcars were tried out on a number of tramlines, in the U.K. but mainly in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where his inventions were assigned to the Electric Car Company of America and his brother Frederick Reckenzaun, based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
developed associated electrical businesses and was his representative there.
His traction motors were applied to the first large scale telpherage system for the Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
Portland Cement Company at Glynde
Glynde
Glynde is a village in the Lewes District of East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is located two miles east of Lewes.-Estate:The estate at Glynde has belonged to four interlinked families: the Waleys , Morleys, Trevors, and Brands...
in 1885. The telpher
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
age system, had originally been tested on the estate of Mr M.R. Pryor at Weston
Weston
There are many places called Weston:-Australia:* Weston, Australian Capital Territory* Weston Creek, Canberra* Weston Park, Canberra* Weston, New South Wales, a suburb of the City of Cessnock-Canada:* Weston, Nova Scotia* Weston, Ontario...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and also a line in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
by Professor Fleeming Jenkin
Fleeming Jenkin
Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin was Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, remarkable for his versatility. Known to the world as the inventor of telpherage, he was an electrician and cable engineer, economist, lecturer, linguist, critic, actor, dramatist and artist...
in association with Professors William Edward Ayrton
William Edward Ayrton
-See also:*Henry Dyer*John Milne*Anglo-Japanese relations...
and John Perry
John Perry (engineer)
John Perry was a pioneering engineer and mathematician from Ireland. He was born on February 14, 1850 at Garvagh, County Londonderry, the second son of Samuel Perry and a Scottish-born wife....
and the Telpherage Company, Limited.
Perhaps one of his most noteworthy developments came in electric launches. On 13 September 1886 the boat 'Volta' made the double voyage from Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
and back. He also built perhaps the first significant electric boat in the United States, named 'Magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
'.
Professional and scientific societies
He was a member of, and contributor of papers to, various professional and scientific bodies, both English and International. In 1882 he was elected a member of the Society of Arts. On 16 January 1884 he read a paper before that society on 'Electric Launches'. On 20 April 1887 he gave a paper on 'Electric Locomotion'. For this latter paper he received the society's silver medalSilver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
.
On 1 November 1887 he was elected an Associate Member, and on 6 December the same year, a full member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963, when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .- History :The 1884 founders of the...
In 1889 he was elected to the Society of Telegraph-Engineers and Electricians
Institution of Electrical Engineers
The Institution of Electrical Engineers was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. The I.E.E...
now the Institution of Engineering and Technology
Institution of Engineering and Technology
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is a British professional body for those working in engineering and technology in the United Kingdom and worldwide. It was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers , dating back to 1871, and the...
. In December 1892 the I.E.E. awarded him the Paris Electrical Exhibition Premium for his paper on 'Load diagrams and the cost of electric traction'.
He also gave papers at the British Association, the American National Electric Light Association and the Vienna Electro-Technical Society.
In later years he associated himself with the General Electric Company and Greenwood and Batley and was a regular contributor to the electrical journals of the day. He published a collection of much of his work on electric traction was published in 1892 by Biggs & Co, London, entitled 'Electric traction on railways and tramways'.
Miscellaneous
He was a friend of the noted BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
inventors Magnus Volk
Magnus Volk
Magnus Volk was a pioneer British electrical engineer. He is most notable for having built Volk's Electric Railway, the world's oldest extant electric railway. He also built the unique, but short lived, Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway, together with its unusual Daddy Long Legs...
and Moritz Immisch
Moritz Immisch
-Early life:Karl Moritz Immisch was born on 12 March 1838 in Niederschmon, near Querfurt in Germany and died 20 September 1903 in London.Always known as 'Moritz Immisch', he was the eldest son of August Christian Immisch...
External links
- chapter 29 of Alfred Rosling Bennett's 1924 work 'London and Londoners in the Eighteen-Fifties and Sixties' - The Victorian Dictionary - compiled by Lee Jackson
- Institution of Engineering and Technology website
- Google Book Search - search references in Victorian electrical journals Probate notice.
- Illustration of Reckenzaun tramcar
- Photo of Reckenzaun worm gear drive
- Mary Gordon Electric Boat
- website of the 'Society of Arts', or rather - Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce