Museum thrives on its energetic visitors

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2002 (8633 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STOPPING in front of a century-old dynamo, my five-year-old had only one question: “Did this thing run on electric?” he asked of the barbecue-sized 110-volt generator Thomas Edison envisioned as a power source for every home.

“Of course it does,” his older, more jaded brother replied. “Why else would they have it here?”

Other than the water-wheel powered dynamo, and a few gas lamps, everything else in the new Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre is run by electricity. That’s not surprising, since this 522-square-metre testament to the life-transforming power of electricity was developed by Manitoba Hydro and its retired employee group, Hydro X.

First conceived as a place to show off early electrical gadgets and appliances collected over the years, the museum, which opened last December, also includes loads of information of how hydroelectric power is transmitted from generating stations to cities and towns.

Just entering the brick structure at 680 Harrow St., adjacent to the large Manitoba Hydro building on Taylor Avenue is an education in itself. You can’t miss the huge artifact sitting on the museum grounds — a large yellow turbine runner from the Great Falls generating station, the utility’s oldest station. The automatic double glass doors to the former Harrow Terminal Station open to a large lobby with glass walls showing some of the switching and monitoring equipment still in use.

But the main attraction is through another set of electrically operated doors, where the province’s electrical history is illuminated with hands-on displays. A replica Winnipeg streetcar points to the first use of electrical power in the province, when overhead wires criss-crossed city streets to run the streetcars. Wall-mounted charts detail the numerous utility companies in the province’s past, beginning with the Winnipeg Gas Company in 1873 and now ending up with one mega-company, Manitoba Hydro.

“We started out with gas, and we’re back at it again,” muses Ed Boyd, one of two Hydro X volunteers acting as tour guides during our visit.

This professionally designed $210,000 display by exhibit developer David Hopper of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, connects both adults and children to the history of electricity.

Younger visitors are captivated by the interactive displays, where a push of a button illuminates an artifact in a case or highlights a correct answer. On our visit, two displays attracted the most kid energy — one a hand-cranked generator that lit up small bulbs, depending on the speed and persistence of the cranker, the other a four-metre high robot constructed entirely of a small appliances, toys and other electrical household items.

A panel of 16 buttons in front of the robot light up wires showing energy gobbling appliances or energy efficient ones, with others providing the sounds of the gadgets. Beside this creature built from floor polishers, vacuum cleaners, a race car set, microwaves, computer keyboards, and topped by a computer monitor transformed into a robot head, is a state-of-the art touch-screen terminal where visitors can test their safety and energy-efficiency knowledge.

Adults will be intrigued by the drawers full of early electrical appliances (anyone remember an electric hot-dog cooker?), the rows and rows of gleaming chrome toasters, and the early stoves, dishwashers and vacuum cleaners equipped with a two-pronged plug on a black cord.

Folks with rural roots will linger at the farm electrification display, figuring out from the wall-mounted map which year their farm, district or community was connected to the power grid.

The main floor displays are packed with information on transmission lines, transformers, and generating stations, providing more technical facts than most can absorb in one visit. But this window into Manitoba’s electrical history is free, so a return visit might be in order. The only drawback is the limited hours — the museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursdays. Groups can arrange other hours with museum co-ordinator Jenett Richter, and plans are in the works to open shop on Saturdays.

The Manitoba Electrical Museum, 680 Harrow St., Tel. 477-7905, is open 1 to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and by appointment. Free admission.

brenda@suderman.com