Niles Car and Manufacturing Company

The Niles Car and Manufacturing Company was an American manufacturer of railroad equipment, including many streetcar and interurban cars.[1][page needed] It was founded in 1901 in Niles, Ohio and published catalogs showcasing their various cars.[2]

Jeumont-Schnedier
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRail transport
Founded1840; 184 years ago (1840)
Defunct1950
HeadquartersNiles, Ohio, USA
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsLocomotives
High-speed trains
Intercity and commuter trains
Trams
People movers
Signalling systems
1908 Niles advertisement

Niles specialized in building wooden-bodied cars in the heyday of interurban building.[1][page needed] Its cars had a reputation of being well-built and stylish; Niles advertising called them "The Electric Pullmans."[3][4]

The company also produced equipment for the trucking industry, an industry reference citing 2 models of 1 and 2 tons respectively, costing $1500 to $2400, utilizing a worm drive and custom bodies to suit.[5]

The company ceased producing railroad cars in 1917. The plant and equipment were purchased by the Engel Aircraft Company to produce aircraft parts for the United States Army Signal Corps.[6][7]

Customers

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Niles' clients included[1][page needed] the:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-4014-2. OCLC 237973.
  2. ^ See, e.g., "Niles Cars 1914," a reproduction of one of their catalogs, illustrated with photos and blueprints (Electric Railway Historical Society Bulletin No. 30, 1958).
  3. ^ "Niles Car & Manufacturing Company". Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  4. ^ American Street Railway Investments: Fifteenth Annual Volume: 1908. McGraw Publishing Company. 1908. p. XXI. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  5. ^ Barber, H.L. (1917). Story of the Automobile: Its History and Development from 1760 to 1917. Chicago, Illinois: A.J. Munson & Co. p. 238. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  6. ^ "Baker's Brother got a Contract" (PDF). The New York Times. February 1, 1918. pp. 1, 6.
  7. ^ Faurote, Fay L. (Ed.) (February 1919). The Aircraft Year Book. New York City, New York: Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Inc. pp. 149–153. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
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