Niles Car and Manufacturing Company

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

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]

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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