Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-11
LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY
BUYS CASTING PLANT
Enlarging It's Facilities in Order to
Meet Demand for Rail-
road Engines.
HAS LARGE ORDERS BOOKED
Estimated That, on Present Basis
Alone, Local Plant VIII Be kent
at It's Maximum Capacity Until
September, 1913.

The plant of the Seaboard Steel
Casting Company. at Chester Pa, has
just been purchased by the American
Locomotive Company from the Penn
Seaboard Steel Corporation, according
10 an announcement made yesterday.
me purchase OF this castings plant
closely follows the acquisition of tho
Richmond Iron Wroks plant in this
city for similar purpose by the loco
motive company, in preparation for it's
resumption OF the building Of engines
for domestic railroads
The plant just purchased has n ca
pacity OF approximately 1900 tons of
steel castings year. sufficient to sup
ply an apprcciable proportion of the
company's needs In normal times 1t
Is absolutely a modern plant, we'll To-
Gated on the Delaware River. with 900
fcet OF water frontage, and IS in full
operation. By the purchase of this
plant the American Locomotive Com
pany should be able to bring about
substantial economies In operating
costs One item. that OF scrap. former
ly sold at low prices. but which the
company will now be able to recast,
VIII prove substantial savings.
All the locomotive compa niles were
among tho FIRST of the equipment con-
Germs To enter the munition field 60 as
whole, they arc the first to have
abandoned that ncld and to have re-
turned to the manufacture OF their reg
ular product. Both the American Lo-
connective and the Baldwin company are
now practically out of the war
products industry.
ENORMOUS DEMAND
FOR MOTIVE POWER
enormous demand -or motive power
both from domestic and foreign rail-
roads and tho fact that not only are
locomotives now considered as ncces-
sary as shells for winning the war
but so large lis the volume OF orders on
tho companies books for motive-power
equipment that tho proiectile field has
lost the attractivcncss II had two years
ago. when railroad buying was at the
vanishing point
IL is estimated that the American
Locom"fiv: Company. at the beginning
or liz 1918 fiscal year. Witch begins
July ], will have orders for locomo-
ttEes aSgrcEatinE between $4,000. coo
and ss5,oOo.000. while on the same date
Ba!dwln's orders will probably amount
10 s75.10o.000 or more This means
FOR both companies capacity business
for fun year from that date and
fully explains the anxiety of the COM
panies TO close un nunition order. and
TO get back to tho lines on which profts
can be rcckoned with some degree of
certainty
RICHMOND BRANCH
COMPLETING SHELL. ORDER
The Richmond branch OF the Amer.
lean Locomotive Company is now plan
ming TO complete its shell orders by
July Is. and locomotive machinery is
now being Installed. in order that the
plant may continue actively without
moments delay. The men Will be grad
ually changed from munition opcra-
lions 10 locomotive work without let
up. and the company is planning eX-
tensive operations at the local plant
No signs are apparent thus far of
any let-up in the demand for motive
power, and trade interests intimate
that II they accepted all the foreign
business offered. without taking fur
Their domestic orders. they could MI
their books UP 10 about September
1918. AZ domestic roads are In the
market for a large number of engines.
II would seem that the trade may look
forward to continued active operations
until the closing months OF next year
Mt least.