Hi all,
While writing my post about Baldwin in another thread, I thought about the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton merger. While they merged mostly so Baldwin could have Lima's heavy machinery lines (and to eliminate diesel competition), what if the combined company produced steam locomotives for a few years after 1951? This is assuming that they merged, having seen the rise of EMD, but continued building steam while their diesel locomotive lines were integrated and EMD was overloaded with orders (and that there was a market for steam after 1949).
What would we have seen in terms of steam locomotives?
NW
Both firms had stopped building steam locomotives for the North American market prior to the merger so it seems unlikely that any new designs would have come forward. The market for steam locomotives had also dried up with the possible exception of N&W, and they built their own locomotives. There was no real incentive to continue with steam locomotive development or marketing (?) since nobody was buying.
This is another of those hypothetical questions that requires a little 'willing suspension of disbelief' in order to presume steam locomotives continued to be built by the firm. As, I believe, they were, for export, as late as 1954. That is really no answer in terms of 'novelty', but probably gives us a reasonable idea: continuing refinement of the details of a conventional locomotive, to make need for maintenance as low as possible, and increase operating reliability in various practical senses.
It should be remembered, though, that the internal politics were such that anything "Lima" with respect to steam would have been deprecated in favor of the Philadelphia Story on how to build and peddle locomotives. If I may be permitted a diversion into diesel history: Lima had a very good idea how to build sensible, strong, well-designed diesels. Most of that appears to have been pitched after the merger -- to most everyone's sorrow.
I have the strong impression that Baldwin, having been burned by poppet valves not once but twice (first the Caprotti license in the late '20s, and then the relative failure of the T1s) would not have embraced much of the improved stuff coming out of Balmar -- Lima acquisition or no.
Meanwhile, I still believe the driving reason for the Lima-Hamilton merger included the free-piston engine development -- and this was a vital part of the subsequent Baldwin-LH merger. It is notable to me that there is no record at all of steam bottoming cycle for the free-piston turbine expander exhaust, which I'd think any 'steam' builder would at least consider.
A Balwin-Lima merger producing steam locomotives? Well, assuming it happened during the steam era I think it may have proved to be a marriage made in Hell. Baldwin had their ideas, Lima had theirs, throw in two corporate cultures trying to make a go of it, "who's on top" type of office politics.....
Nah, never would have worked.
The merged company produced steam locomotives for export during the 1950's.
There were rumors in Trains that C&O was interested in ordering more Alleghenys in 1950. So maybe we came close to getting some conventional (Almost seems like a misnomer to use that word in reference to an Allegheny) steam locomotives with BLH builder plates for domestic use if that had came to fruition and deliveries continued into 1951.
Firelock76Baldwin had their ideas, Lima had theirs, throw in two corporate cultures trying to make a go of it, "who's on top" type of office politics.....
Exactly my thoughts. Especially when they took (imho) Lima's superior diesel designs and replaced their orders with the inferior Baldwins.
Although it would have been interesting to see BLH take a Baldwin Yellowstone and put a Lima Superpower 6 wheel trailing truck underneath...
I believe new steam designs from B-L-H post merger would have been a farce. The combined
Engineering Dept. would have strongly resembled Accounting at Penn Central. The Red Team vs.
The Green Team and computers that couldn't talk to each other. If you want to dream about a new
generation of steam locomotives, stipulate a long term oil embargo circa 1950. Economic forces
can create solutions.
Chuck Peck
OldReliable believe new steam designs from B-L-H post merger would have been a farce. The combined Engineering Dept. would have strongly resembled Accounting at Penn Central.
believe new steam designs from B-L-H post merger would have been a farce. The combined
Engineering Dept. would have strongly resembled Accounting at Penn Central.
My thoughts exactly.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.