Hank
Morris & Jeff Smith
The
American Locomotive Co. has had a history of divergences.
It was known for its steam locomotives, of which the 4-6-4
Hudsons and 4-8-4 Niagaras, built for the New
York Central, and the 4-6-6-4 Challengers and 4-8-8-4
Big Boys, built for the Union Pacific, were some of
its finest examples. Yet, how many today know that Alco built
automobiles, trucks, tanks, oilfield products, and heat exchangers.
In
an article about Rhode Island automobile manufacturers, by
Fred H. Deusch and posted on the March, 1997, Senior Times
website, Mr. Deusch notes that the “best known company to
manufacture automobiles in Rhode Island was the American Locomotive
Company.”
In
1906, the first Alco automobile was built at Alco’s Providence,
R.I. plant under license from Automobiles Berliet of France.
It was known as the American Berliet. In 1908, the company
wanted to build its own bigger and better car. Alco announced
that the Berliet License was discontinued and that Alco would
design and manufacture its own automobile. The new car was
called the American Locomotive Motor Car, or Alco.
The
Alco was such a fine car that it took no less than 19 months
to build each one. All kinds of body styles were available
as well as chassis for custom coach builders. The engine in
the Alco was huge. The four-cylinder engine displaced 453
cubic inches while the six cylinders displaced 579 cubic inches.
By early 1900’s standards, only the very wealthy could afford
an Alco, as prices ranged from $6,000 to $7,500. Antique automobile
collectors have acquired some of these rare old Alco automobiles.
Alco
cars won many races both here and abroad, and eventually became
the home of “The Vanderbilt Cup Trophy.”. Henry Fortune (Harry)
Grant, with mechanic Frank H. Lee, won the Vanderbilt Cup
Race, in both 1909 and 1910, driving an Alco called the “Bęte
Noire” (Black Beast). Mr. Grant won the 5th Vanderbilt
Cup Race on Long Island, N.Y. on October 30, 1909, with an
average speed of 62.81 mph and the 6th (by 25 seconds) on
October 1, 1910, with an average speed of 65.18 mph. Many
other trophies were also won.
ALCO TRUCKS?
An
Alco truck made the first Transcontinental Truck Delivery
carrying three tons of Parrot Brand Olive Silk Soap. The cross
country trip was made in 91 days, arriving at City Hall in
San Francisco on September 20, 1912. The start of this trip
coincided with a big truck parade and display sponsored by
the Philadelphia Inquirer. There were 509 commercial
cars of 71 separate makes, ranging in size from mammoth trucks
with 13,000 pounds capacity down to light delivery of 500-pound
capacity. Alco truck users included such old companies or
institutions as Singer Sewing Machine, Ellis Hospital (Schenectady),
Gimbles Brothers, and Henry Kroger & Co.’s Monopole Whiskey.
At
the end of 1913, Alco announced cessation of auto production.
Even though the company had gross earnings of $34 million,
not one cent of profit came from its automobiles. In fact,
the company lost an average of $460 on each of the 5,000 cars
it built. Most of the loss on each car was not due to manufacturing
costs. Any time a purchasing agent would come in looking to
buy locomotives; the company would give him a car as an inducement
to buy their locomotives.
Incidentally,
in 1911, Walter P. Chrysler willingly took a cut in pay to
go to work for Alco in Schenectady as foreman for the Allegheny
Plant. This was after he left the railroads and before he
went to GM/Buick (and finally to Maxwell-cum-Chrysler). The
Chrysler Corporation was subsequently founded on June 6, 1924.
ALCO TANKS AND BEYOND
While
automobile building was probably the first Alco diversification,
it was not the last. During World War II, Alco produced army
tanks (7,362 of them), tank destroyers, shells, bombs, gun
carriages, gun mounts, and 4,488 locomotives. Employment at
Alco during World War II increased three-fold to over 15,000
people by 1945.
In
the post-World War II era, Alco designed and built the Fort
Belvoir Atomic Plant; lock gates for New York State Barge
Canal; solvent tanks for Paulsboro, N.J. refinery; heat exchangers;
and a ten-mile pipe network laid at Idlewild; Steel pipe for
New York City Water Distribution System; diesel-electric power
packages used for oil well drilling; offshore drilling rigs
powered by three diesel engines. Alco diesel-electrics also
provided for deep oil well drilling on land and Alco-brand
pipe supplied Chicago’s north side water filtration plant.
Unfortunately,
the diversification efforts of Alco were not enough for the
company to succeed in the post-steam world of locomotive building.
By the early 1960s, it was clear that Alco was fighting for
its life. Then president, William Miller, decided to bet the
entire future of Alco on its new Century line of locomotives
and sold off all its subsidiaries.
