Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-11
BALDWIN'S AND
HOW 1T GREW UP
Every Big Business Has Personal
History, Which in This Case
Began with a Jeweler
and an Idea
By EDWARD R. BUSHNELL

the home of the Baldwin Locomotive Works,
which turns out 40 per cent. OF all the loco
motives used in America and supplies it's
product to every country on the globe.
"Baldwin's' is known everywhere, and it
figures prominently in current financial and
Industrial history as affected by the mighty
war in Europe
General terms fail TO give one a true con-
ception OF the magnitude OF this company's
business and the part It plays in the life OF
Philadelphia. For a period OF "a years It
has been turning out an average OF 500 loco
motives annually. II took 80 years to manu-
facture the first 1000, but in the great rail-
road expansion during and following the
Civil War, from 1851 to 1869. the second
thousand was turned out The 10000 mark
was reached in 1882 the 10000 mark in 1902,
the 10000 mark in 1907, and today the $4,000
mark is near.
Thousands Built Since the Last"
II all the locomotives this company has
turned out could be placed end to end they
would stretch from New York to San Fran
cisco and nearly half way back again. And
today they are pulling virtually 40 per cent
Of the passenger and freight traffic Of this
country.
Back of every giant industry of this kind
is very human story of struggle, disap-
pointment and ultimate success Matthias
Baldwin, who established the works in 1881,
tasted bitterness and disappointment before
he finally succeeded. And even after he had
constructed his first locomotive, Old Iron
sides, he was disheartened that he
ready to give up. Only his inventive
genius and the iron will which urged him
gave us the Baldwin works. After Old
Ironsides had been built and tested the
Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown
Railroad Company, for which It was
constructed for a contract price of $4,000,
refused to pay this amount because Of
certain defects. These were remedied and
a compromise price fixed at $3500 All the
trouble Baldwin encountered over this first
locomotive moved him to say to a friend in
disgust:
THAT is our last locomotive"
But 42,4ss have been built by his company
since then
When Matthias Baldwin started his career
the building of locomotives was the last
thought in HIS mind. He learned the trade
of teweler and after working in the shop
OF a jewelry firm for a few years opened a
shop of his own in the same trade. It was
the failure in the demand for his wares that
led him TO change his occupation and even
tually to take UP the construction OF loco
motives.
From the jewelry trade young Baldwin
took UP, the manufacture of bookbinders
tools and cylinders for calico printing. The
demand for these was so great that the
young mechanic determined to install a
stationary steam engine, steam power Just
then becoming practical The machine Bald
win and his partner had purchased for this
XIaF
determined to design and construct one es-
pecally adapted to his work It was a sue
cess, and the new ideas It introduced imme-
diately were adopted by other constructors
This original stationary engine built before
1880, is still in working order, and has been
used to furnish the power in opening six
new departments at Baldwin's
Jeweler Makes Engines
It was the interest which the construction
OF this first stationary steam engine aroused
in him that led Baldwin to take up locomo-.
tive building In 1S2s-sO the first steam loco
motives were imported to this country from
England. They attracted so much attention
that Franklin Peale, the proprietor OF the
Philadelphia Museum, determined to have
one for exhibition purposes II he could find
a man who could construct one. He asked
Mr.. Baldwin to undertake the work With
out having seen locomotive and with the
aid only of the imperfect descriptions that
had been published OF the competition at
RainhiIl England, Mr.. Baldwin began opera
tions. On April 25, 1881, the miniature loco
motive was put in operation on a pine board
track I'm the museum. The locomotive
burned both anthracite and pine knot coal,
and the exhaust steam was discharged into
the chimney. Two cars were attached, and
big crowds went 10 soc the novel spectacle.
That was the real beginning OF the Bald
win Locomotive Works. The success OF Mr.
Baldwin's model was such that the Phila-
delphia, Germantown and Norristown Rail-
road Company. whose cars were then oper-
ated by horsepower, gave Mr.. Baldwin an
order. The difficulties were enormous. be-
cause the young mechanic had no plans by
which TO work. The Camden and Amboy
Railroad Company had only recently inn
ported a locomotive from England, and II
was then stored In a shed at Bordentown,
its parts unassembled. Mr. Baldwin exam
ined the detached parts and with the aid OF
a few notes and what he had learned from
the model ne had constructed for the Phila-
delphia Museum. started in on his work.
Most OF the work Mr.. Baldwin had TO do
with his own hands. for in that day there
were few mechanics competent TO do this
sort of work and the proper tools were stiIl
more dificult TO get. On November 2s, 1882
ola Ironsides. as the first locomotive was
named, received it's first test
One OF the things OF which Baldwin's IA
proud is the feat OF building a complete To-
connective from the raw material in Just eight
days. The test was made in 1889. when the
entire locomotive. boiler and tender. and all