Lima Locomotive Works photographs   Save
Ohio Department of Economic and Industrial Development
Description: Two 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm) photographs document train engines under construction at Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. Lima Locomotive Works began in 1869 when a group of men from Upper Sandusky purchased the Lima Agricultural Company, renamed it the Lima Machine Works, and began making sawmill machinery, stationary steam engines, boilers, jig saws, lathes, and agricultural equipment. In 1878, it expanded its operations to include the production of locomotives. The company, which employed 4,000 workers in its peak production years during World War II, was the third-largest producer of locomotives in the country. The "Cadillac of steam-locomotive builders," as the company was known, also manufactured cranes, draglines, and shovels. As the company grew, its name evolved to Lima Locomotive and Machine Company (1892), Lima Locomotive Corporation (1912), and finally Lima Locomotive Works, Incorporated (1916). After World War II, the company suffered from the lagging sales. Its merger with Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1950 could not save the company. The last locomotive was produced in Lima in 1951. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3191_3805971_001
Subjects: Transportation; Business and Labor; Construction; Factories; Railroads; Railroad locomotives
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)