North Shore Towers Courier n September 2014 13 machines have been broken up for their parts and tucked storage facilities off site – as replacement parts for the three surviving Chicago Pneumatic machines when the time comes. Like the Indians, Sal has learned to use every part of the buffalo. When will the three, remaining original generators have to be replaced? “I don’t think it’s soon,” says Castro. “Large equipment like this is re-buildable more or less forever. We have a lot of parts in storage to keep them going. No reason they can’t last many more years with these parts available, if they can remain permitted and cut down on their running hours by running the new ones more.” Since preparations began late last year, the work has been “non-stop,” Castro says. (The last vacation Castro had was nine months ago -- a visit to see his son in North Carolina -- he says.) The Towers have been energy independent since it first opened in the early 1970s; the only connection to the outside power grid is for the natural gas that fuels the generators. That independence has been one of the characteristic amenities of the community. No one gets a Con Ed bill. And during two New York black-outs – in 1977 and 2003 -- the lights at North Shore burned brightly. And during Hurricane Sandy, the Long Island relatives of many residents stayed here for up to two weeks while power was restored to their homes . The rebuilt plant is now powerful enough to run an apartment complex twice the size of North Shore Towers. But that is precisely the idea, says Castro. The extra capacity is a crucial part of the power system. “If something goes wrong,” he says, “there is no alternative. This way, we have the capacity for back-up.” The last of the temporary generators were moved out of the parking lot early last month and the system has been operating on its own since late July. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience whenever we had to shut down,” Castro says. “But it was necessary to get the job done.” Checking the system from the top of a generator. Jacket water return pipes sends super-heated water used to cool electricity generators into a system that heats the complex. Old and new. A circa 1972 generator on left and 2015 model on the right. Sure it’s a high-tech operation, but workers still use a chalk board to keep each other up to date. CP stands for Chicago Pneumatic, which doesn’t make engines like these any more. Taxi-cab yellow generators are made by Caterpillar, the tractor people.
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