I'm afraid that your Dad's memory is faulty. No C-119 ever had an "Electric" propeller installed. The original developement airplane was the XC-82B/XC-119A. Only one was built, It had the 4360 engine and Ham-Standard props, as did the production version ie; the C-119B and so on. The "B" had a slightly wider fuselage and dual main landing gear as opposed to the XC airplane's C-82 style single wheel main gear. The name then changed from "Packet" to "Flying Boxcar" The "X" airplane and a few of the first "B" models may have had electric landing gear and flaps.
Now, the Ham-Standard propeller was "Step Motor" controlled with switches in the cockpit but they just adjusted speeder spring tension for rpm control. The propllers were always hydraulic. Other airplanes such as all piston Convars had the step motor governor controls. The early C-119's also had a sync function for the props and a sort of auto-throttle which advanced the throttles during climb to restore the manifold pressure as you climbed. Some nice stuff for it's day. The step motor controls might have led some to believe that the props were electric.
There were Curtiss Electric props around in those days. Some C-46's had them and unbelievably the first two YC-130's had Curtiss props when they came to Pope AFB, Ft Bragg in 1954 for drop tests for the Army. The airplanes sat for long periods with no props since the props had to go back to the factory for overhaul after only 15 to 20 hours of flight. The clutches did not hold up. BTW those 2 airplanes had the throttles suspended from the overhead, seaplane style.
Aero-Products then won the production contract and the C-130A came with those props.
It is off the thread but thought I'd throw it in. <grin>
DC
