Originally written in the late 1900¿s and then periodically revised, A History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works chronicles the origins and growth of one of America¿s greatest industrial-era corporations. Founded in the early 1830¿s by Philadelphia jeweler Matthais Baldwin, the company built a huge number of steam locomotives before ceasing production in 1949. These included the 4-4-0 American type, 2-8-2 Mikado and 2-8-0 Consolidation. Hit hard by the loss of the steam engine market, Baldwin soldiered on for a brief while, producing electric and diesel engines. General Electric¿s dominance of the market proved too much, and Baldwin finally closed its doors in 1956. By that time over 70,500 Baldwin locomotives had been produced. This high quality reprint of the official company history dates from 1920. The book has been slightly reformatted, but care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.

Philadelphia-based Baldwin began designing and building steam locomotives in the 1830s and gave the U.S. many of its most significant and famous types of steam, and diesel-electric motive power. This history of Baldwin is illustrated with a large selection of rare, superb builder's photos and other publicity images from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, with the book's large page size showcasing the detail and crisp quality of the images in this outstanding collection. Author Brian Solomon provides technical histories of each locomotive along with builder's specifications and explanations of how the locomotives were used by the railroads that bought them. These carefully researched histories are keys to understanding the significance of the locomotives and how they worked, and are presented in a manner that makes the book accessible to everyone, while retaining sufficient technical detail to appeal to the most ardent railroad enthusiast.

History being forged is what author Westing brings you in every phase of Baldwin progress. Here are more than 300 photographs, many never before printed, linked with the long out of print "History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works - 1831 to 1923," to which Westing gives colorful meaning as he brings the story up through the last days of steam to the Engine 76150, the final and highest serial number. --Publisher.

Winner of the Hilton Book Award from the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society The largest maker of heavy machinery in Gilded Age America and an important global exporter, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia achieved renown as one of the nation's most successful and important firms. Relying on gifted designers and skilled craftsmen, Baldwin built thousands of standard and custom steam locomotives, ranging from narrow gauge 0-4-0 industrial engines to huge mallet compounds. John K. Brown analyzes the structure of railroad demand; the forces driving continual innovation in locomotive design; Baldwin's management systems, shop-floor skills, and career paths; and the evolution of production methods.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.