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Baldwin Locomotive Works Year 1900

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Baldwin Locomotive Works Year 1900
Posted by rluke on Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:29 PM

I have a Trains trivia calander (content from the B+O Railroad Museum). It states that Baldwin built 17, 350 locomotives in the year 1900. That's about 50 per day. Does this seem like a possible misprint? thanks

Rich
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Posted by erikem on Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:47 PM

 It sounds like a misprint to me. When Baldwin built the Eddystone plant, they sized it for 10 locomotives per day, which was higher than what they could put out of the downtown Philly plant.

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Posted by Beach Bill on Monday, March 16, 2009 2:33 PM

rluke

I have a Trains trivia calander (content from the B+O Railroad Museum). It states that Baldwin built 17, 350 locomotives in the year 1900. That's about 50 per day. Does this seem like a possible misprint? thanks

The book The Locomotives That Baldwin Built by Fred Westing (Bonanza Books, 1966) contains a complete facsimile of the original History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1923.  Page 106 contains the production of locomotives by year.   

1899 - 901;    1900 - 1217;  1901 - 1375   

Highest production for that 1832-1923 span was 2666 locomotives in 1906.

Bill

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison
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Posted by rluke on Monday, March 16, 2009 7:42 PM

Thank you for the answers. If it would have said that Baldwin produced 17,350 locomotives BY the year 1900, that would be more believable.

Thanks again

Rich
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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:49 AM

Good catch !  It almost seems as if the compiler was dyslexic and got all those numbers mixed up:

Westing book (per Beach Bill):  1901 -  1375 locos

B&O Museum Calendar: 1900 - 17, 350 locos

I agree with your supposition of 17,350 cumulative locos by 1900.  Wonder if Beach Bill could quickly add up those production figures on page 106 from 1831 - 1900, and tell us if that seems even approximately right ?  Thanks !

 - Paul North.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Beach Bill on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:54 AM

Paul_D_North_Jr

Good catch !  It almost seems as if the compiler was dyslexic and got all those numbers mixed up:

Westing book (per Beach Bill):  1901 -  1375 locos

B&O Museum Calendar: 1900 - 17, 350 locos

I agree with your supposition of 17,350 cumulative locos by 1900.  Wonder if Beach Bill could quickly add up those production figures on page 106 from 1831 - 1900, and tell us if that seems even approximately right ?  Thanks !

 - Paul North.

rluke hit it right! 

That same text lists "the years for the completion of locomotives numbered in the even thousands"

Locomotive #17,000 was produced in 1899

Locomotive #18,000 was produced in 1900

Locomotive #19,000 was produced in 1901, while #20,000 and #21,000 came out in 1902.

Bill

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison
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Posted by richg1998 on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:35 PM

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 2:52 PM

17,350 divided by 70 years yields just under 250 locos per year.  Considering that early production was undoubtedly lower, that might balance out with the higher numbers in the later years.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by TomDiehl on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 3:37 PM

Beach Bill

Paul_D_North_Jr

Good catch !  It almost seems as if the compiler was dyslexic and got all those numbers mixed up:

Westing book (per Beach Bill):  1901 -  1375 locos

B&O Museum Calendar: 1900 - 17, 350 locos

I agree with your supposition of 17,350 cumulative locos by 1900.  Wonder if Beach Bill could quickly add up those production figures on page 106 from 1831 - 1900, and tell us if that seems even approximately right ?  Thanks !

 - Paul North.

rluke hit it right! 

That same text lists "the years for the completion of locomotives numbered in the even thousands"

Locomotive #17,000 was produced in 1899

Locomotive #18,000 was produced in 1900

Locomotive #19,000 was produced in 1901, while #20,000 and #21,000 came out in 1902.

Bill

Total production, adding up the yearly figures, up to and including 1900 was a total of 18,472 locomotives. Subtracting the 1900 production of 1217 gives us 17,255 locomotives. So no telling where the figures on the calendar came from.

Smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to. Chief of Sanitation; Clowntown
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Posted by wanswheel on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 6:59 PM

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http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/images/d8157-2.jpg

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