History of District Heating in the United States

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District Heating in Wayne, Pennsylvania

Wayne Steam Heat Plant about 1908, from Historic Wayne (1975)

The Wayne Steam Company was incorporated in August 1890 and built a system that began operating that winter. The company was re-incorporated as the Wayne Steam Heat Company in 1913 and was acquired by the Philadelphia Suburban-Counties Gas & Electric Company in 1927 and by the Philadelphia Electric Company in 1929.

The system was abandoned on June 15, 1949..

References
1890 Wayne Steam Company, incorporated August 6, 1890, Capital, $10,000, Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Supplying heat and fuel by means of steam to the public in the township of Radnor, county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, and to persons, partnerships and associations residing therein and adjacent thereto as may desire the same.

1891 "A Suburban Building Operation," Carpentry and Building 13:209-213 (September 1891)
Page 212: The Heating System
The heat for the town is furnished by the Wayne Steam Company, who were incorporated on August 6, 1890, with a capital stock of $10,000, but which has since been increased to $50,000. The system employed is that of the American District Steam Company of Lockport, N. Y. The preferred plan in the houses is the indirect system. The steam delivered from the central plant is automatically regulated in the houses, thus insuring, it is said, an even temperature at all times. The Steam Company's plant is located in Southeastern Wayne, near St. David's Station, and consists of a large brick building containing two horizontal tubular boilers, each of 120 horse-power and over 3.11 miles of pipe laid under ground, of which 11,571 feet are mains and 4892 feet service pipes. The steam mains are 8 inches in diameter, starting from the boiler house, falling to 6 inches along Lancaster avenue, and reducing to 4 inches on the side avenues. The iron pipe employed is covered with tarred asbestos paper, secured with wire and laid with a wood log covering, allowing 1 inch air space between the pipe and log, the latter being lined with tin. About 50 feet apart are placed expansion devices, which are built around with brick, filled with mineral wool, and the whole line tied together with iron rods from end to end for the purpose of securing the expansion devices firmly in place. Under the whole line porous tile is laid, to carry off any water which may reach the pipes. Last winter, it is stated, the company carried 40 pounds pressure on the boiler, 10 pounds on the main, and about 1⁄2 to 1 pound pressure on the house pipes. A lever valve with weight enables the house-holder to regulate the amount of steam entering the fixtures, and the arrangement is such that each fixture can be shut off without affecting the others. By the indirect system the radiators are placed in the cellars, with separate flues to each room. The ventilation in the houses is such that as much cold air is heated air introduced. The water of condensation is carried through a steam trap to a coil of pipe called the "cooling coil" from which it is discharged to the sewer with very little heat, probably not over 80°.

1892 "Wayne's Steam Heat," The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 30, 1892, Page 2.

1902 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Wayne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Plate 2: Wayne Steam Heating & Water Co.

1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Wayne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania (May 1909)
Plate 4: Wayne Steam Heat Co.

1928 "Wayne Association Loses Heating Case," The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 18, 1928, Page 28.

1936 Utility Corporations: Letters from the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Transmitting, in Response to Senate Resolution No. 83, 70th Congress, a Monthly Report on the Electric Power and Gas Utilities Inquiry, Volume 83
Page 1220: [141] Investment in common stock of Wayne Steam Heat Co.-The investment of Philadelphia Electric Co. in Wayne Steam Heat Co. amounted to 5,230 shares of common stock of a par value of $50 per share, or a total of $261,500 which was all the stock outstanding, and was taken over from Philadelphia Suburban-Counties Gas & Electric Co. at date of merger November 1, 1929, at the above valuation.
The Wayne Steam Heat Co. was incorporated February 28, 1913, under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and supplied steam heat in the township of Radnor, Delaware County, Pa.
The stock was acquired in 1926 by the Counties Gas & Electric Co., and through the merger on May 5, 1927, was passed on to Philadelphia Suburban Counties Gas & Electric Co., and on November 1, 1929, was acquired by Philadelphia Electric Co. at date of merger.
[142] The ledger value of the entire capital stock outstanding on the books of the Wayne Steam Heat Co. was $261,500.

1949 "Case Histories of District Steam Abandonments," Proceedings of the National District Heating Association 40:103-122 (May 1949)
Pages 104-105: Wayne Steam Heat Company abandonment effective June 15, 1949.

1975 Historic Wayne
Page 15: After the first houses had been built, the developers erected a steam heat plant to serve new construction from a central source. Steam, piped under the streets, not only heated buildings, but melted snow along the way. Disgruntled youngsters claimed the steam spoiled the sleighing.
For economy, the plant, with two tall and distinctive chimneys, was built near the railroad, which transported coal. Plant Avenue commemorates it.

2007 "Wayne Steam Company," by Ted Pollard, The Bulletin of the Radnor Historical Society 7(7):36 (2007)
Wendell & Smith, to service the homes they had built in South Wayne and St. Davids, built the Wayne Steam Heat Company to provide steam heat for their homes on Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Midland, St. Davids, Aberdeen, Louella, Audubon, Windermere, and Summit Avenues.
Over the bed of pipes, these sidewalks remained clear of snow as the steam moved hot and steady at two pounds pressure (Except when the pressure was exhausted by the fire whistle).
While residents enjoyed low cost heat for nearly five decades, the company’s expenses rose until by 1947 the Philadelphia Electric Company found itself losing $40,000.00 in that one season. As a consequence, the company abandoned the operation in 1948.