Street, and shopping in the area underwent a major overhaul. Area employment Considering the years of operation and the peak employment of 3200 during the late 1970s when GE was rivaling Dupont as the largest employer in the area, the total number of employees to pass through the Waynesboro works may well match the entire population of the city. Many came and found their life's career. Others moved on through while seeking the end of their rainbow while still others, growing weary of the structured working environment, returned to their agrarian roots. Infrastructure Renovations The original entrance to the new plant was a narrow lane across the railroad at the north end of the property, and from US 340, the old entrance to the airport. GE had insisted that a bridge be constructed over the railroad to remove the safety hazard of many vehicles crossing the railroad each day, and this was accomplished within two years. Product variety The variety of products that was produced at the new location was as extensive as it was varied. Such variety attests to the incredible breadth and degree of technical and application expertise that existed throughout the first 20 years. At least one person on the staff was knowledgeable about practically every scientific phenomenon except medicine and genetics. A partial list included: Hermetically sealed relays primarily for aerospace and military applications Numerical Control Systems for machine tools, with input from tracers, punched tape, punched cards, magnetic tape, and digital switches. Ultimately, some were computer directed. Thy-Mo-Trol and Statotrol adjustable speed drives for the white print industry, winding/loop control, and many others where regulated, but adjustable, speed was required Regulators and static exciters for electrical power generation systems Photoelectric devices for a wide range of applications, including pinhole detectors, register controls, speed, and loop controls The marketing of selsyns (manufactured in Ft. Wayne) for remote indication and control Hot-box detectors for detecting over-heated bearings on railroad cars Aircraft and military products, (mostly at 400 Hz) including airborne protective panels, static exciters, regulators, military ground power supplies, regulators (navy) and amplidyne regulators, and, the power supply for the Lunar Excursion Module of the early moon probe. Machinery Automation systems that included weighing systems, test and inspection systems, and automated material control systems Width (thickness) gages for sheet steel using nuclear radiation. This diversity had a positive effect as the department was in a better position