Locomotive Factories - USA: Illustrated Books

Baldwin Logging Locomotives (1913)

Founded in the early 1830's by Philadelphia jeweler Matthais Baldwin, the Baldwin Locomotive Works built a huge number of steam locomotives before ceasing production in 1949.
This 1913 catalog shows the company's full line of logging locomotives, from light tank engines to large 2-8-0 Consolidations and 2-8-2 Mikados. The catalog also introduces Baldwin's new geared locomotives, intended to be used on steep grades, sharp curves and uneven tracks.

Product details

H.K. Porter Company - Light Locomotives

In 1866, Henry Kirke Porter and John Smith opened a machine shop in Pittsburgh and began producing light locomotives for industrial use under the name Smith & Porter. After a disastrous fire in 1871, the company dissolved.
Both partners eventually went back into the locomotive business, with Smith forming the National Locomotive Works which specialized in narrow gauge engines. Henry Porter's company focused its efforts on building four-wheel saddle tank locomotives for industry. These were powered by steam, gasoline and diesel. The company also made a series of compressed air engines for use in mine haulage.

Porter's business thrived and in 1906 delivered almost 400 locomotives. One reason for the company's success was a result of superior design that utilized a system of inter-changeable parts across the line.
This facilitated rapid assembly and delivery to customers, and easy maintenance over the life of the engine. Henry Porter continued to run the company until 1921 when he died at the age of 81. Despite a bankruptcy in 1939, H.K. Porter continued in business up until 1950 when it was liquidated.

This reprint of an original H.K. Porter light locomotive catalog is softbound, 8 x 10, black and white interior, and over 230 pages long.

Product details

Heisler Geared Locomotives Catalog

In 1892 Charles Heisler received a patent for a new kind of geared locomotive. Equipped with twin canted cylinders, the engine utilized a driveshaft to power outboard axles and connecting rods to power the inboard axles. As a result of this vee-twin arrangement, the Heisler was one of the fastest geared steam locomotives, providing more power with lower operating costs. Over 600 Heislers were produced from the 1890's until 1941, when the Heisler Locomotive Works closed its doors.

This reproduction of the company's illustrated catalog dates from the 1920's. It shows the full line of Heisler products and presents a compelling argument for their use.

Product details

History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works 1831-1920

"A History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works" was first written in the late 1900s and periodically revised. It details the rise of Baldwin, one of America's major industrial companies. Founded in the 1830s by Philadelphia jeweler Matthias Baldwin, the company produced thousands of steam locomotives, including models like the 4-4-0 American, 2-8-2 Mikado, and 2-8-0 Consolidation, before halting production in 1949.
After the steam engine market declined, Baldwin briefly produced electric and diesel locomotives, but General Electric's market dominance led to Baldwin's closure in 1956. By then, over 70.500 Baldwin locomotives had been built.

This high-quality reprint of the company's 1920 history traces Baldwin's growth, the people behind its success, and the innovative technologies that made it a leader in steam locomotives. It also includes a brief history of Standard Steel Works, which supplied parts to Baldwin. The book has been slightly reformatted, while maintaining the original text's integrity.

Product details

Simple and Compound Locomotives - Brooks Locomotive Works Catalog (1899)

In 1869 Horatio Brooks, a former superintendent of the New York and Erie Railroad, leased the shops at Dunkirk, New York and opened the Brooks Locomotive Works. It quickly became the largest manufacturer in New York State, and in its second year Brooks built 43 new locomotives for customers domestic and foreign. The 1000th engine rolled off the line in 1884.

By the time Horatio Brooks died in 1887, his company was nearly at its zenith. Production reached a high of 225 locomotives in 1891, but declined in 1894 to only 90 due to a financial crisis. Brooks was eventually forced to merge with the Schenectady Locomotive Works and several other companies, which emerged under the American Locomotive Company name. The Dunkirk plant produced its last steam locomotive in 1928.

This reprint of an original 1899 company catalog is over 340 pages, softbound, black and white interior with color covers.

Product details

Baldwin Locomotives

Founded in Philadelphia in 1831 by Matthias Baldwin, the Baldwin Locomotive Works became the premier manufacturer of 2-8-2 Mikado locomotives, along with many unique designs built in small numbers for specific clients, such as a Cab Forward 4-8-8-2.
From 1831-1956, Baldwin Locomotive Works built 70,541 quality locomotives used by some of the most famous railways in North America, including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, along with far flung railroads in Haiti, England, France, India, and Egypt.

Captured here in hundreds of detailed etchings and diagrams are ten years of this illustrious firm's locomotives, complete with detailed descriptions of the locomotives, parts, and construction direct from the company that produced them. This book is a treasure for everyone with a passion for the Age of Steam and this historic locomotive works.

Product details