Frank Sprague: The Power of Electric Traction

A 1900 test of a multi-unit control train motor in Sullivan Square station in Boston, Massachusetts. The figure on the far right is believed to be Frank J. Sprague, the unit's inventor. Public Domain

The power of steam transformed the transportation of people and goods, but with it came soot, smoke, and pollution. As cities grew and rail systems expanded above and below ground, the world desperately needed a new source of power. Frank Sprague’s invention soon revolutionized travel around the globe.

Early Railroad Days

Three decades before Frank Julian Sprague (1857–1934) was born, the city of Quincy, Massachusetts opened America’s first railroad. It wasn’t powered by a steam engine, however. Rather, the cars were pulled by horses on a three-mile track. The use of rails made horsepower more effective, but it was still slow going. In 1830, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first steam engine operation and the method of travel and commerce was forever changed.

When Sprague was 5 years old, London opened the world’s first subway. It completely transformed inner city travel, but these underground trains were similar to those above ground, since they were steam-powered. The soot, smoke, and air pollution made traveling underground unappealing. Sprague, an inquisitive child, would grow up to change above and below-ground travel.

Before Sprague's motors changed the landscape of locomotion, below-ground subways like the London Underground used dirty, soot-producing steam engines to transport carriages and train cars. Public Domain

One Smart Kid

Although Sprague’s mother died when he was 8, she had been a teacher and instilled in him the value of education. When he was sent away by his father to live with an aunt, Sprague remained inquisitive, often tinkering and sketching ideas. As a student at Drury High School in North Adams, Massachusetts, he was drawn to mathematics and science. His intellect caught the attention of his teachers and the school administrators. His principal advised him to pursue one of the military academies in West Point or Annapolis.

Frank J. Sprague, inventor of efficient electric motors that allowed for subway development, electric trolleys, and elevator advancements. Nicholas.savas56/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Upon graduating high school in 1874, he traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts to take the entrance exam for West Point Military Academy. As he began the test, he realized he was in the wrong exam—this one was for the United States Naval Academy. No matter, he completed it anyway, and was accepted to the Academy after ranking first among the 13 applicants.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1878, Sprague joined the Navy and served on the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet, USS Richmond. Aboard this Civil War-era sloop was Ulysses S. Grant, the former general and president. Although Sprague was an ensign, he was tasked with being the special correspondent for The Boston Herald. He wrote articles on his travels as well as notes on the receptions Grant received in Asia. During his time at sea, Sprague spent hours contemplating electromechanical inventions. He filled his notebook with sketches and descriptions of his ideas, including telephones, complex telegraph systems, and motors.

After being transferred to the frigate USS Minnesota in 1881, he spent time in Newport working on a new invention. Upon completing his design, he filed his first patent. He called his invention a “Dynamo Electric Machine,” a motor that converted mechanical power into electric power.

That same year, he was transferred to the flagship of the European Squadron, the USS Lancaster. Knowing he would be in Europe, he applied to present his “Dynamo Electric Machine” at the Paris Electrical Exhibition. His application was rejected. Much like his misstep with the military academy entrance exam, Sprague brushed off the rejection and planned to take his chance in London.

Luck in London

The young inventor received a three-month leave so he could visit England’s capital city and the home of the first subway system. The Underground left a lasting impression on Sprague, but there was still much to be desired. Sprague arrived in London in 1882 in time for the electrical show at the Crystal Palace. He was right at home with the many mathematicians, scientists, and inventors from around the globe. Not only did he attend the affair, but he was made the American member of the awards jury. He was also selected to be the secretary for the dynamo electric machine portion.

While rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s great minds, he met Edward Hibberd Johnson, an American inventor, close associate of Thomas Edison, and the first man credited for using Christmas lights. Johnson was convinced Sprague had a future in the world of electricity, and he convinced him to resign his commission with the Navy and join Edison at Menlo Park. Sprague didn’t require much convincing.

Starting His Own Company

Johnson convinced Edison to hire Sprague. The working relationship only lasted a year as Sprague was more interested in electrical motor power than electric lighting. In 1884, Sprague began his own company in New York City, the Sprague Electric Railway & Motor Company. With the financial backing of several New York investors, Sprague set his sights on transforming inner city travel. At this time, cities were still using horse-drawn trolleys and streetcars. Since the trolleys and cars were already there, all Sprague needed to do was prove that his electromechanical system could power them.

He personally designed the electrical energy system, the regenerative braking system, wheel suspension, and a non-sparking motor that could maintain its revolutions regardless of the increase or decrease in weight (as when passengers would be getting on and off the trolleys). He presented the designs to the International Electrical Exhibition in Philadelphia. When Edison witnessed Sprague’s motor exhibition, he stated, “His is the only true motor.” Sprague’s company sold 250 of these motors over the course of two years, and was helped by an endorsement from the Edison Electric Light Company.

Put to the Test

In 1887, Sprague believed the time had come to put his inventions to the ultimate test. His company installed a 12-mile electric rail system for the Richmond Union Passenger Railway in Richmond, Virginia. By early 1888, word was spreading of Sprague’s streetcars powered by something called “electric traction”―the undeniable successor to steam power. That summer, he conducted a late-night demonstration of the power of his invention to two Bostonians: Henry M. Whitney, the industrialist and founder of the West End Street Railway Company, and Whitney’s general manager, Daniel Longstreet.

As the two men stood looking at 22 lined up streetcars, they found themselves aghast at the power of Sprague’s electric motors. Each car seemed to effortlessly move along the track and off into the distance toward the car barn. Whitney, weary of the soot and smoke of steam engines and the slow and often smelly usage of horsepower, was convinced this was the future. He hired Sprague’s company to build an electric rail line in Boston. On New Year’s Day 1889, Boston had its electric trolleys, and in 1891, the West End Railway was in full operation.

The Sprague Electric Company as it was in November 1898. Public Domain

Sprague’s invention solved a major issue, but it ended up causing another. Boston became so congested with electric streetcars and trolleys that it often became faster to move around on foot. Sprague’s creation, however, also led to another solution. In 1897, Boston opened America’s first subway system.

By the turn of 20th century, nearly 100 percent of all street railways were electrified due to Sprague’s invention. His electric traction system would also be administered in subway systems around the globe, including the first one ever built, in London.

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