...This chapter examines the motivations and inspirations behind Frank Sprague's inventions. It provides information on Sprague's family and educational background, and highlights the influence of the Hoosac Tunnel project and the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia on his path to electrical...

...This chapter examines Frank Sprague's inventions and business ventures during the period from 1884 to 1888. It discusses Sprague's founding of the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company (SERM) in 1884 as way to commercial his invention and his work to develop electric railcars for a group...

...This chapter examines Frank Sprague's development of the basic components of the multiple-unit (MU) system of railroad control during the period from 1895 to 1898. It explains that the MU system equipped electric traction for urban mass transit and discusses Sprague's founding of the Sprague...

...This chapter examines Frank Sprague's career and business ventures during the period from 1890 to 1898. It explains that Sprague became a free agent in 1891 after the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company (SERM) was absorbed by the Edison General Electric (EGE) Company and discusses his...

...This chapter examines the market competition faced by Frank Sprague's Sprague Electric Company (SEC). It explains that after the company had staged the operational advantages of Sprague's multiple-unit (MU) control system at the South Side Elevated Railroad Company project, both Edison General...

...This chapter relates the story of the discovery of Frank Sprague's artifacts in a large barn in Branford, Connecticut. One of the most important items found in the barn was Sprague's first stationary electric motor built in 1884. This motor was used to power looms and presses, which had been...

...This chapter examines the contribution of Frank Sprague's electric railcar project for the Richmond Union Passenger Railway. It suggests that while the project cannot be considered a heroic invention, it marked a turning point in the evolution of the technology, and that Sprague had accomplished...

...This chapter examines Frank Sprague's engineering invention activities after the General Electric (GE) Company had acquired his Sprague Electric Company and the patents for his multiple-unit (MU) control system. It explains that GE paid Sprague royalties for the invention and that he was able...