This trip back to the lower 48 via the ALCAN has given the opportunity to see a few old, historic, and some now defunct lodges and road houses. I have stayed in a few such places before, both on my last trips on the Alcan and in other places I have been for work such as Bettles, AK where the original lodge still stands and is open. (the Bettles Lodge is one of my favorites) A typical lodge or roadhouse is there to offer aid and comfort to weary travelers. To do this, they often require electricity and running water–at least in the main building. I know, many of you cannot fathom staying in a hotel with no power or running water but let me assure you that such places exist and you can drive to some of them.
Uses for water are rather obvious, the electricity in such remote settings is usually used for lighting, pumping the aforementioned water, running the gas pump to fuel your vehicle, etc. Today one can add satellite TV/internet into that mix. …but at a minimum, these days you generally need enough power to run a few lights, pumps, a refrigerator, and a freezer. In these remote locations, there is no grid. …no power lines strung everywhere to muck up your view of the landscape…..and no utility to call if the lights go out.
These lodges generate their own power in a variety of ways depending upon what is available to them. More recently, as costs have come down, you are seeing small scale solar installations……a few I have visited over the years had hydro power available and built some interesting contrivances to capture and use it. A few, such as the old Black Rapids Lodge (since rebuilt, I am talking about the original) had wind power–in their case, a beautiful old metal tripod tower with a Jacobs windmill atop it. But in the far north, where the winter sun is limited and the water in streams frozen, the use of small diesel generator sets is almost universal.
These can be simple high speed units or they can be the more long lasting, efficient, and quiet low speed units that belt drive their generators. How involved the systems are is limited to the owner’s aptitude and ingenuity for solving the problem. You still see a lot of these installations at campgrounds and lodges, still serving their roll today.
Why diesel? The first reason is efficiency. Diesel engines are the most thermally efficient internal combustion engine ever made. In addition, an all mechanically injected system is simple to maintain in the field when parts may be days or weeks away. Lastly, diesel fuel is very similar to stove oils and so the same fuel used for power can be used to aid the heating of the buildings. If the engine used is liquid cooled, and if that coolant is plumbed into radiators inside the main building, then it can assist with heating as well and this further stretches the benefit of every pound of fuel consumed. Fuel is expensive in these places. Sometimes upwards of 8 dollars a gallon! …the less you must bring in the better.
Of the diesel engines used in old lodges, the unquestioned king of them is the Witte. Other than engine people, most have never heard of them. They were made in various forms and sizes since the 1930’s and on through the 60’s, today you can get close approximations of the larger units from Arrow in Oklahoma. This is an amazing–and amazingly heavy, piece of machinery. It runs at about 600 to 750 rpm with a nice quiet chug. The generator is belt driven. The unit makes about 12 to 14 horsepower and weighs in at around 2500 pounds when fully equipped and mounted. The flywheels are heavy and smooth the power pulses. Built with the best combination of technology for long life, many of those you find are entering their 6th or 7th decade of service and still chugging along. When something wears out, you can repair it. They will last as long as you want them to, really.