Steam Locomotive Builders

The Baldwin Locomotive Works were founded by Matthias W. Baldwin in 1831, when, after building a working model, he received an order from the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad Company. It was not until November 23, 1832, however, that the "Old Ironsides" was tried on the road. This was a four-wheel engine, the two 54-inch drivers being at the rear. Cylinders were 9-1/2 x 18 inches. Wheels had heavy cast-iron hubs, wooden spokes and rims and wrought-iron tires; frame of wood, outside the wheels. Boiler was 30 inches diameter and had seventy- two copper tubes, 1-1/2 inches by 7 feet long. The contract price was $4,000, but after some controversy $3,500 was finally paid.

The second engine was the "E. L. Miller," for the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad Company, and was completed February 18, 1834. This was for the same road as the "Best Friend," "West Point" and "South Carolina," mentioned in connection with the West Point Foundry. This engine (the "E. L. Miller") had cast-brass wheels but they soon wore out. The cylinders were 10 x 16 inches, the single driving wheels were 54 inches, and the front end was carried on a four-wheel truck.

Five engines were built in 1834, and in this year a part of the present site (Broad and Hamilton streets, Philadelphia) was chosen.

It is impossible to trace the interesting development of the Baldwin engine in this brief sketch, but it is interesting to note that in May, 1848, Mr. Baldwin filed a caveat for a four-cylinder engine, which was never built. In 1880--forty-one years later--these works began the building of what is now the best known four-cylinder locomotive in the world. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)

Danforth & Cooke, of Paterson, N. J., were well known among the early builders, and, after several changes, became the Cooke Locomotive & Machine Company, now one of the eight plants of the American Locomotive Company. Established in 1851, they were very prominent for many years, and a "Cooke engine" was often recommendation enough to a railroad man. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)

Hinkley Locomotive Works were established in about 1843, being first called the Hinkley & Drury Company. The "Lion," their first engine, has become historic, and for years a "Hinkley" was noted for its speed and other good qualities. They built the "C. P. Williams" for the Stoningtor Steamboat Express--an engine that made many fast runs. They also built two 6-foot single-driver engines, with 4-foot trailer, and 16 x 20-inch cylinders for the Erie. They met with several business reverses and finally built the "Shaw" balanced locomotive, "Henry F. Shaw," and one of Strong's freaks. The combination was enough to cripple a healthy locomotive works, and in this case it was fatal. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)

(Read more about the Strong locomotive; includes photo)

Construction numbers are assigned for convenience in indexing. Only a very few, such as c/n 226, are believed to be actual numbers.

Virtually all of this data was supplied by Robert J. Dubits - with a few additions by Donald B. Robertson

National Locomotive Works (Dawson & Bailey) was still using a T suffix as a tender locomotive at this time. (Georgia Association of Narrow Gaugers)

The building housed the New York Locomotive and Machine Works in 1881, produced nearly 700 engines — one of them now on display at a museum in West Fargo, N.D. — and employed 800 people. They repaired locomotive engines from all over the world. In 1893, it became the Rome Locomotive Works. Among its products were Hardie trolley cars, and later, French-designed automobiles.

The plant was owned for a while by Rome Manufacturing Co., which rented space for projectile production during World War I, then later bought the 200,000-square-foot plant. After the war, Rome Manufacturing continued to repair locomotives, and also started producing road machinery under a subsidiary, Rome Grader Co.

In 1934, Rome Manufacturing Co. Plant Manager M.J. Patterson bought the plant, then sold it to Union Fork & Hoe in 1941. The company produced specialized jigs for B-29 aircraft, motor graders, bayonets and other war materials

In 1951, the site was bought by Pettibone-Mulliken Corp., a division of a Chicago-based operation, and was again used for the production of graders as well as cranes. It was known for its manufacture of Multikranes, self-propelled and truck-mounted cranes with hydraulic telescopic booms and a 360-degree turntable.

The Pettibone plant was closed permanently after 34 years, on June 14, 1985. Its work was moved to Tiffin, Ohio.

Business collapsed suddenly after the death of President Noch in 1890 and the financial panic of the early 1890s dried up new orders. The company shut down in June 1891 and was reorganized as the Rome Locomotive and Machine Company. The new company announced its focus would be rebuilding steam machinery and general shop work. Some compressed air locomotives were constructed by the new company but only two new steam locomotives were built after the reorganization, the last in 1911. RL&MC merged into the Rome Manufacturing Company in 1916. Rome Manufacturing built trolley cars, French designed automobiles and a line of heavy construction equipment including road graders and continued rebuilding steam locomotives into the 1920s.

Production -- Rome built 695 steam locomotives in a decade, a significant number in a highly competitive field, the seventeenth largest total among 19th century North American locomotive builders.

In 1831-2, under the firm name of Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor, Mr. Thomas Rogers established what is now known as the Rogers Locomotive Company.

The first engine was the "Sandusky," built in 1837 for the New Jersey Transportation Company, but sold to the Mad River Railroad after much persuasion. This engine weighed under 10 tons. It had six wheels, two of them being drivers. It had counterbalanced wheels and four fixed eccentrics, both innovations in locomotive building.

Rogers was also one of the first to advocate using the link motion, beginning in about 1850, and his wisdom is shown in its general use today. In 1842 they built he "Stockbridge," an engine with outside cylinders. The driving axle was in front of the firebox and a pair of trailers behind. In front was a full truck, making an engine of the "bicycle" type. Rogers adopted the American or eight-wheel design (patented by Henry R. Campbell, of Philadelphia) in 1844, and of course others did the same at various dates.

In 1848 they built some ten-wheel locomotives for the Savanilla Railroad of Cuba, with 15-1/2 x 20-inch outside cylinders. These are supposed to be the first ten-wheelers with outside cylinders.

Mr. W. S. Hudson, who was one of the best designers we have had in locomotive work, became superintendent of the Rogers works in 1852, and remained in that position until his death, in 1881, at the age of seventy-two. His many patents are interesting to study and embody many of the ideas in use to-day. This company is one of the few survivors and is now making extensive additions and improvements. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)

There is mass confusion and no real records known to exist showing construction numbers after the end of Rogers Ketchum & Grovesnor at CN #686 and when Rogers again began using CN #s beginning with 2153.

There are two better known lists that cover those locos assembled from all kinds of shipping and other records by date, but everything is a SWAG and the lists differ considerably. On top of that there are other lists floating around that differ in other ways. Most cite the Fisher list, others the Taber list and some who knows what. Railroad History #167 goes over this pretty well.

I am saying all this to say that in your rosters any construction numbers for Rogers between 687 & 2152 should be in [ ]s to avoid confusion that they might be true and accurate numbers. (Allen Stanley to Don Strack, email dated November 27, 2017)

The Taunton Locomotive Works commenced business in the early forties [1840s]. W. W. Fairbanks was the general agent and was later agent of the Grant Locomotive Works. P. I. Perrin was draftsman, and B. F. Slater foreman. The early Taunton locomotives were inside connected. Frames were made by riveting together two bars of iron 5 x 5/8 with one 2 x 2 between them at the top. The pedestals were of cast iron. The tops of them were reduced in thickness and entered the groove in frame, and were held in place by turned rivets. Castings to hold flanges of cylinders were fastened in the same manner. Valve gear had drop hooks, and the point of cut off was constant. Driving wheels were four-coupled, with a four-wheel truck under the smoke-box. Boiler was of iron; firebox, copper or iron, as directed; tubes, copper. Wood being the fuel, the chimney was double, with a large bonnet of fine wire. No steam gages or injectors were known. Water was supplied by pumps driven from the cross-heads. Tender was mounted on three pairs of 33-inch wheels; no swiveling trucks. Later they applied the V-hooks to the valve gear; still later a variable cut-off driven by a half crank or forward crank pin, and a V-hook working on a rocker. Steam pressure, 100 pounds, The time made by these locomotives between Boston and Providence was 1 hour 15 minutes, which has been reduced but 15 minutes in fifty years. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)

The Schenectady Locomotive Works, with one of the Norris family as president, were incorporated in 1848, and consequently rank among the oldest establishments of their kind in the United States. The history of their long and successful operation contains many items of interest and would not be complete without a reference to Walter McQueen, the first superintendent. As was customary in those days, the engines were known as McQueen locomotives. He had been with Seth Wilmarth and was a good designer. Later, in about 1874, he endeavored to start a locomotive works in Schenectady, but the panic prevented its successful existence. The works proper occupy 12-1/4 acres, compact, with no streets dividing, while 23 acres in all are owned by the company for all purposes. The works are connected by switches to the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, also the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company's Railroad, and have docks on the Erie Canal. The general plan of the works is arranged on the principle of the modern freight yard, so that material and complete locomotives and tenders are readily handled from one shop to another with switching locomotives. The works are at present employing over 2,250 men, and are one of the leading works of the American Locomotive Company. (Fred H. Colvin, "Locomotive Building in the United States" in "Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 15, Number 2, February 1902, and Volume 15, Number 3, March 1902)