• Elijah settled in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He wanted a job that involved machines but could only find a job
at the Michigan Central Railroad as
a fireman/oilman.
• While he worked, he noticed that trains had to be stopped every time they needed oil, which wasted time
and money.
• Elijah invented a device to oil the machine while it was moving. He called it an oil cup. The oil cup was soon used on engines, train locomotives, steam ships,
ocean liners and in
factories.
• Soon no engine machine was used until it had Elijah McCoy’s invention.
• (Out of the Past
Into the Future pg.31 Author: Robert FFrench
, The Real McCoy By:
Wendy Towle)