Foregoers

(b. 1869, Budapest, d. 1931)

Kandó attended high school in Budapest, and obtained his diploma as a mechanical engineer at the Technical University of Budapest. After some years in France, working on the design and development of Tesla’s induction motor, he came back to Budapest, and joined the Ganz Factory, where he did most of his engineering inventions. His research focused on creating large energy systems, in which electric current generated for lighting and industrial use, were also used for electric haulage. He worked out a revolutionary system of phase-changing haulage, whereby locomotives were powered by the standard, 50-period, single-phase alternating current used in the national energy supply system. By integrating the electric power needs of the railways, the industry and the public, Kandó managed to find the ideal solution for energy rationalization for any country.  Kandó’s invention of the phase-changing electric locomotive undoubtedly opened a new epoch in the history of railway development.