GENERATORS OF OLD

From January, 1896, until June, 1962, a 3,475 horsepower Nordberg dual-fuel engine and its many predecessors provided Conway Corporation customers with their total electrical power requirements.

Conway's first electric system consisted of no more than a small wood-burning steam engine connected to a 75-kilowatt generator with a few power lines stretched across the city. Electricity, available between sundown and midnight, could be purchased for lighting purposes only. Power capacity was increased in 1904 and again in 1913.

The city's first diesel engine and generator set was purchased in 1923; a second in 1925. Arkansas oil from Smackover fields was used in the diesel engines, and Arkansas coal was used as fuel for the boilers of the steam engines. In 1951, Conway Corporation purchased a Nordberg 2,750 hp dual fuel engine (diesel and natural gas) and a 2,250 kilowatt generator. The power plant was expanded in 1955, and a new engine and 2,740 kw generator were installed.