TUCO Traditional Cache
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Elevation is 3349'....don't spill the diatomaceous earth out of the container....it is special geocaching clay pills to keep the log dry!
Golden Spread Electric Coop has broken ground just south of TUCO sub station to build a natural gas-fired plant which will consist of 18 9-megawatt reciprocating engine-generator sets with quick-start technology. That technology allows the sets to achieve full operation in less than 10 minutes, compared to traditional gas-fired units which can take from 1-4 hours to start, or coal fired which takes a week to start up. This construction is to supplement the wind energy being built out in the Texas Panhandle.
Tuco Power Plant
The Tuco Power Plant was located north of Abernathy about a half mile east of 1-27 on FM 54. This facility was completed in 1930, and was enlarged in 1940 and again in 1949. Its payroll for many years gave a great boost to the community, and its taxable payments to the Abernathy School system were life saving during the strenuous years of the past.
In 1916 a St. Louis firm purchased Plains properties which formed the nucleus of the old Texas Utilities Company. The company was later known as Southwestern Public Service with Redi-Kilowatt as its mascot.
When Tuco was built in 1930, it incorporated a turbine engine that burned gas. Tuco construction caused quite a stir over the Plains, Particularly in the Texas Tech Engineering Department, which adopted the plant construction as its project.
When they tested the first 7500 kilowatt per hour turbine there was not enough electricity being used in the area to bring the engine up to full power. The old diesel generators were reversed to take in electricity instead of sending it out. This still was not enough, so a crew went out to the edge of the lines and threw trace chains over the power lines and grounded them to see how much the engines could take.
There were twelve houses located on FM 54 to the northeast of the plant. Some of the employees lived there and most of the others lived in Abernathy.
Tuco had bright street lights, running the distance of the housing unit, which were a landmark to early travelers. The ballpark was the first in the territory to be lighted. During the 1930's South Plains residents came from all over for ball games there, often staying until long past midnight.
Behind the houses were tennis courts, croquet courts, and lots of playing and garden space between the row of houses and the row of garages.
For years Tuco served as the site of the Southwestern Public Service employee's annual picnic, being centrally located in the twelve-county area. With a maximum of forty-five employees during the years, Tuco had a big day when picnickers arrived and overflowed the grounds. At that time Tuco showed off its polished interior which time and again won awards in company competition.
With large plants built, Tuco became more of a switching station, channeling power to various routes. For the years from 1958 to 1968, its small 37500 KW hour capacity engines were used only during the summer months for the summer load.
The houses at Tuco were sold and moved in 1968. The large plant was torn down and there are only power lines and poles where it once stood.
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