Baldwin Locomotive Works
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The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania.
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History
The Baldwin Locomotive Works had a humble beginning. Matthias W. Baldwin, the founder, was a jeweller and silversmith, who, in 1825, formed a partnership with a machinist, and engaged in the manufacture of bookbinders' tools and cylinders for calico printing. Mr. Baldwin then designed and constructed for his own use a small stationary engine, the workmanship of which was so excellent and its efficiency so great that he was solicited to build others like it for various parties, and thus led to turn his attention to steam engineering.
In 1831, at the request of the Philadelphia Museum, he built a miniature locomotive, for exhibition, which was so much of a success that he that year received an order from a railway company for a locomotive to run on a short line to the suburbs of Philadelphia. The Camden and Amboy Railroad Company (C&A) had shortly before imported a locomotive (John Bull) from England, which was stored in Bordentown, New Jersey. It was not yet assembled by Isaac Dripps (under the direction of C&A president Robert Stevens) when Mr. Baldwin visited the spot. He inspected the detached parts and made notes of the principal dimensions. Guided by these figures, he commenced his task. The difficulties attending the execution of this first order were such as our mechanics now cannot easily comprehend. Tools were not easily obtainable; the cylinders were bored by a chisel fixed in a block of wood and turned by hand; the workmen had to be taught how to do nearly all the work; and Mr. Baldwin himself did a great deal of it with his own hands. It was under such circumstances that his first locomotive, christened Old Ironsides, was completed and tried on the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad on November 23 1832. It was at once put in active service, and did duty for over a score of years. It was a four-wheeled engine, weighing a little over five tons; the driving wheels were 54 inches (1.37 m) in diameter, and the cylinders 9½ inches (24 cm) in diameter by 18 inches (45.7 cm) stroke. The wheels were of heavy cast iron hubs, with wooden spokes and rims, and wrought iron tires, and the frame was made of wood placed outside the wheels.
Initially, Baldwin would build many more steam locomotives at its cramped 196 acre (0.79 km²) Broad Street Philadelphia shop but would begin to shift production to a 616 acre (2.5 km²) site located at Spring Street in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, by 1906. By 1928, the company moved all locomotive production there. Baldwin was very soon the largest locomotive builder in the United States, and possibly worldwide.
Steam locomotives
Baldwin was best known for the 2-8-2 (Mikado) and 2-8-0 (Consolidation). It was also well known for the unique cab-forward 4-8-8-2 articulateds built for the Southern Pacific Railroad and massive 2-10-2 for the Santa Fe Railroad. One of Baldwin's last new and improved locomotive designs were the 4-8-4 (Northern) locomotives. Baldwin's last domestic steam locomotives were 2-6-6-2's built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1949.
Electric locomotives
From the early years of the 20th century Baldwin had a relationship with the Westinghouse Electric Company to build electric locomotives for American and foreign markets. The electric locomotive was increasingly popular; electrification was expensive, but for high traffic levels or mountainous terrain it could pay for itself, and in addition some cities like New York were banning the steam locomotive because of its pollution and the propensity for accidents in smoke-choked terminals. Baldwin built or subcontracted out the bodywork and running gear, and Westinghouse built the electrical gear.
Baldwin built the famed EP-1 (1906), EF-1 (1912) and EP-2 (1923) box cab electric locomotives for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Baldwin also delivered the EP-3 box cab electric locomotives to the Milwaukee Road for use on their line between Harlowton, Montana and Avery, Idaho.
Baldwin built several electric locomotive types for the Pennsylvania Railroad as well including the P5A, R1 and the famed GG1. Baldwin built the first GG1 prototype electric locomotive for use on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s electrified line that was completed in 1935 between New York and Washington, DC.
Steam-turbine locomotives
In the waning years of steam, Baldwin also undertook several attempts at alternative technologies to diesel power. In 1944, Baldwin outshopped an S2 class 6-8-6 steam turbine locomotive for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1947-48 Baldwin built three unique steam turbine-electric locomotives for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. They were not successful.
Diesel locomotives
In 1939, Baldwin offered its first standard line of diesel locomotives, all designed for yard service. Two years later, the American entry into World War II destroyed Baldwin's diesel development program when the War Production Board dictated that Alco and Baldwin produce only limited numbers of diesel yard switch engines. General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) was assigned the task to produce road freight diesels, which gave the latter an advantage over its competitors in that product line in the years that followed World War II.
Business declined drastically in the postwar years as Alco and EMD seized the bulk of the diesel market from Baldwin, Lima-Hamilton and Fairbanks-Morse. While Baldwin switchers were well-known for their lugging ability, the company failed to make the jump to building reliable road units. Baldwin also misjudged the market, concentrating on products of little interest to railroads. In July 1948, Westinghouse Electric, which had teamed with Baldwin to build diesel and electric carbodies, purchased 500,000 shares, or 21%, of Baldwin stock, which made Westinghouse the largest Baldwin shareholder. Baldwin used the money to cover various debts. Westinghouse vice president Marvin W. Smith became Baldwin's president on May 4 1949.
In a move to diversify their operations, Baldwin merged with Lima-Hamilton on December 4 1950 to become Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton. However, market share continued to dwindle. In 1953, Westinghouse stopped building electrical traction equipment, so Baldwin was forced to purchase electrical equipment from General Electric. Over 70,500 locomotives had been produced when production ceased in 1956.
A full list of Baldwin diesel locomotives belongs elsewhere, but Baldwin locomotives, while fairly successful in the marketplace, did not do so well as others. Baldwins, thanks to their hefty Westinghouse electrical equipment, were good heavy haulers, but the engines were less reliable than the EMD and even ALCO competition.
Further reading
References
- Template:Book reference
- Steam Locomotive Builders (http://www.steamlocomotive.com/builders/)
External links
- SteamLocomotive.com (http://www.steamlocomotive.com) - a large amount of information on steam locomotives.
- Baldwin locomotives used in Finland (http://www.sci.fi/~animato/rail/baldwin.html)de:Baldwin Locomotive Works