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Baldwin Locomotive Works
For more than a century, this Philadelphia company helped power the railroad age with locomotives shipped across the United States and around the world. It grew from a small machine shop into the best-known builder of steam engines, then struggled as the industry moved to diesel power.
1 Audiobook
Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives; Baldwin Locomotive Works
by Baldwin Locomotive Works
About the author
Founded by machinist and inventor Matthias W. Baldwin, Baldwin Locomotive Works began in Philadelphia in the 1820s and built its first successful locomotive, Old Ironsides, in 1832. Over time, the business expanded from a modest workshop into one of the great industrial names of the 19th century.
Baldwin became the world's largest producer of steam locomotives, supplying engines for major American railroads as well as customers overseas. Its factories eventually moved to Eddystone, Pennsylvania, and the company built tens of thousands of locomotives in many sizes and styles, from compact industrial engines to massive main-line machines.
The company remained closely tied to the steam era that made it famous. When railroads shifted rapidly to diesel locomotives in the mid-20th century, Baldwin had a much harder time keeping pace. Even so, its name still carries enormous weight in railroad history, and many surviving Baldwin-built locomotives remain preserved or in operation today.