A mercury arc rectifier in a museum in Munich. It comprises a large lightbulb shaped glass bowl with glass protections at the bottom fanning out radially and containing electrical anodes

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   Garry Keenor (25kv@mas.to)'s status on Monday, 22-Jan-2024 02:07:23 JST Garry Keenor

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   Obviously you cannot supply AC electricity to a DC motor and expect it to rotate. You first have to rectify the current – that’s the process of AC to DC conversion. These days rectifiers are made using solid state electronics, and can comfortably fit under the floor of a rail vehicle. Back in the 1890s though, the only option was the Mercury Arc Rectifier, a large, sensitive and vulnerable glass bottle containing, um, mercury. Yikes.