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@ Volvo Guy

I still think our system was hot water, but your knowledge sure seems right on. We were very poor back in the 1950s, and lived in a tenement that wasn't the best. It sure kept us warm and never acted up much. I can remember the water "running" through those radiators, though!
 
The high school I went to had an ancient building that had been built in stages in the 1910s. It had steam heat. There was a coal burning furnace, remote from the building. It was not large enough to heat the whole building at once, so the building was divided into three zones and it cycled to the next zone every 15 minutes or so. Of course this meant that every part of the system was constantly heating, cooling, heating, cooling, etc. The constant clanking and banging and gurgling and hissing and squeaking you could not imagine. And just about every joint and connection in the system leaked. Plus, it was prone to air locks and sometimes a particular classroom would be freezing cold for no apparent reason and nothing that anybody did with the valves would make every difference. Then the next day it would be a different classroom. Hated, hated, hated it.
 
You'd Think The Town

Would have sprung for the most common solution to part of your comlaint: zoned heating with several boilers/furnaces.

Then again it is possible to have one steam producing power plant able to provide heating (and cooling for steam run ACs for that matter). Though not sure if these involved then or now more than one boiler.

Many NYC public housing estates (developments) had a single rotary boiler system that supplied steam (for heating and hot water), for the entire complex. This of course involves complicated and extensive system of pipes to take steam to builings, and also return the condensed water back to the boiler.

This arrangement was seen elsewhere in the world, and is still used, even in remote parts of Russia. Of course the large scale version of this would be electric power companies such as Con Edison here in NYC. Con Ed supplies steam via pipes all over Manhattan, to be used for heating, cooling and at one time to run machinery. Far better and safer for building residents/employees to have such high pressure steam produced off site and piped, rather than scores of such boilers running in basements.
 
Central steam plant

The Village of Mariemont on the east side of Cincinnati originally had a central steam system piped to homes and businesses. This was a planned community built in the 1920's. I don't know all the details about how long they used it, ect. Dave (Volvoguy)might be able to tell us more.
 
In Europe they use trash burning plants to provide heat and hot water to thousands of apartments and homes. These plants incinerate waste very efficiently and with very low levels of pollution.
 
My Grandpa also had to always "check the furnace", even though they had gas forced air heat. Grandpa kept a jug of wine stashed in a corner of the basement.
 
Still in use I believe...... have relatives living in McClendontown,PA.....one favorite Aunt we alway stayed with still uses coal......visiting her is a blast into the past....there is a coal furnace in the basement you access from the outside only, and you would have to go down every night and "bank" the furnace before bed, while sleeping you would hear the chain drive chinking along the rafters opening the dampers as heat was required.....in 1990, she just got hot water inside and a indoor bathroom, outhouse is still there and useable, but God love her, its basic living and what their used to out there....before indoor plumbing we used to heat water on the stove for a big basintub to take baths in the kitchen, and washed clothes in her Maytag wringer, not to mention wiping down the lines from soot before you hung out the clothes.....it is always great to go back home to visit!....not much has changed thru out the years

one thing to remember was the coal was stored outside, which had to be kept covered, otherwise local vermin and cats would use it as a toilet, and when you would burn the coal, the smell would fill the house.....
 
Rapunzel, the city has a trash incineration plant where I live. Not much goes to the dump anymore; household garbage goes to the incinerator. They sell the steam to Redstone Arsenal, which is a large Army installation here.
 
speaking of questions on what is....

what is that thing that on the wall between the fridge and the door? Also what does he mean the Olds froze up again? What froze up and what is he going to do with the pan of water?
 
"Olds Froze Up..."

Before there were reliable anti-freeze chemicals for cars, cold mornings/weather normally brought grief to drivers. Engines would freeze over and not "turn over" that is start. So you took a pan (or two, or three...)of hot water outside to pour over the offending parts to "thaw" them out.

The above went along with another ritual in cold weather, starting up a car and letting it "warm up" for a period of time before starting out.

When just a little thing in the 1970's can remember cars not starting on cold mornings, and the mutterings/cursing of men who each had their own methods for dealing with the problem. If it was our's or one of the other mother's on the block who couldn't get the car started this often presented a problem.

If fathers or some other men were around to get the darn thing going, we lucked out. Otherwise it was either walking to school or (hopefully) hitching a ride from someone one the block.

The other curse of cold weather was a car battery that died. This could only be solved by a "jump" from another car, and we children would watch as the helper auto was manouvered into position and the fun began.
 

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