Hicks Locomotive and Car Works
Encyclopedia
The Hicks Locomotive and Car Works was one of many small railway equipment construction companies operating in the United States
at the dawn of the 20th century. It stayed in business for only 21 years.
s and refurbishing them for continued operation, but it quickly branched out into passenger car and freight car construction.
Construction expanded for the first ten years of the company's life, and in 1905 the Car Works claimed the ability to manufacture 10 railroad coaches per month and 25 freight cars per day in addition to its locomotive rebuilding activities. The size of the workforce varied considerably but normally the company employed at least 100 men.
Near the end of the first decade of the century, orders for railway cars slowed and the company went into decline. In 1910 the company suffered two major fires, causing severe financial hardship. In September of that year the company was forced into receivership and was sold in February 1911. The purchaser, William Barbour of New York, changed the name to Central Locomotive and Car Works and continued the company's operations.
In the 1910's the company continued its slow decline, and the last of the 480 passenger cars built at the Chicago Heights works was constructed in 1914. In 1916 there were two more fires at the plant. Two years later, Central went bankrupt and ceased operations. The plant was sold to the Liberty Car and Equipment Company.
Loop
district while the plant was located 30 miles to the south in Chicago Heights, Illinois
. In 1905 the company's offices were moved to Chicago Heights.
The Chicago Heights plant consisted of two main complexes. The older of the two was the West Works, or locomotive shop, which dated to 1901. This plant included a machine shop, erection shop, boiler shop, blacksmith shop, coach shop, mill, upholstery workshop, tender shop, tin shop, veneer shop, and pattern shop. It also included a storehouse. The West Shop was used for building and repairing passenger cars and for rebuilding steam locomotives.
The newer complex, the East Works, was an adjacent tube mill purchased by the company in 1905. After conversion this plant included a wood machine shop, truck shop, storehouse, blacksmith shop, boiler house, oil house and two erection shops. This plant was used for construction and repair of freight cars and opened in 1906.
In 1910 there were two fires. In the first, the west plant burned down, while the second fire destroyed the offices and storehouse. The East Works survived the bankruptcy of both Hicks and Central and was bought in 1918 by Liberty Car and Equipment.
In addition, Hicks purchased four Jackson & Sharp Co.
narrow gauge coaches from the Ulster & Delaware R.R.
between August 1899 & June 1900 and resold them to the White Pass and Yukon Route
in May 1901 (WP&YR ##218, 220, 222, and 224). These four cars have been rebuilt several times under White Pass ownership and remain in service.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the dawn of the 20th century. It stayed in business for only 21 years.
History
Hicks Locomotive and Car Works was founded in 1897 by Frank M. Hicks, who had owned an ironmaking company called F.M. Hicks and Company for ten years. Originally the new company was focused on purchasing used steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s and refurbishing them for continued operation, but it quickly branched out into passenger car and freight car construction.
Construction expanded for the first ten years of the company's life, and in 1905 the Car Works claimed the ability to manufacture 10 railroad coaches per month and 25 freight cars per day in addition to its locomotive rebuilding activities. The size of the workforce varied considerably but normally the company employed at least 100 men.
Near the end of the first decade of the century, orders for railway cars slowed and the company went into decline. In 1910 the company suffered two major fires, causing severe financial hardship. In September of that year the company was forced into receivership and was sold in February 1911. The purchaser, William Barbour of New York, changed the name to Central Locomotive and Car Works and continued the company's operations.
In the 1910's the company continued its slow decline, and the last of the 480 passenger cars built at the Chicago Heights works was constructed in 1914. In 1916 there were two more fires at the plant. Two years later, Central went bankrupt and ceased operations. The plant was sold to the Liberty Car and Equipment Company.
Physical Plant
The company's offices were originally located in the Fisher Building in Chicago'sChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
district while the plant was located 30 miles to the south in Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,373 at the 2005 census. Chicago Heights is nicknamed 'Crossroads of the Nation'.-History:...
. In 1905 the company's offices were moved to Chicago Heights.
The Chicago Heights plant consisted of two main complexes. The older of the two was the West Works, or locomotive shop, which dated to 1901. This plant included a machine shop, erection shop, boiler shop, blacksmith shop, coach shop, mill, upholstery workshop, tender shop, tin shop, veneer shop, and pattern shop. It also included a storehouse. The West Shop was used for building and repairing passenger cars and for rebuilding steam locomotives.
The newer complex, the East Works, was an adjacent tube mill purchased by the company in 1905. After conversion this plant included a wood machine shop, truck shop, storehouse, blacksmith shop, boiler house, oil house and two erection shops. This plant was used for construction and repair of freight cars and opened in 1906.
In 1910 there were two fires. In the first, the west plant burned down, while the second fire destroyed the offices and storehouse. The East Works survived the bankruptcy of both Hicks and Central and was bought in 1918 by Liberty Car and Equipment.
Surviving Traces
None of the buildings of the Chicago Heights plant have survived, and the site is an empty lot. The Fisher Building in downtown Chicago survives and is an historic landmark. No freight cars built by Hicks are known to survive, however nine wooden passenger cars have been preserved:- Chicago Aurora and Elgin 309 (1907 electric interurban coach), at the Illinois Railway MuseumIllinois Railway MuseumThe Illinois Railway Museum is the largest railroad museum in the United States and is located in Union, Illinois, northwest of Chicago...
- Green Bay and WesternGreen Bay and Western RailroadThe Green Bay and Western Railroad served the transportation and freight haulage needs of northern Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993...
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76 (mail express car), privately owned near Baraboo, WisconsinBaraboo, WisconsinBaraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau... - Kewaunee Green Bay and Western 77 (1909 mail-baggage car), at the Mid-Continent Railway MuseumMid-Continent Railway MuseumThe Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.-Collection:Three steam locomotives are currently under restoration to federal guidelines. The museum has 14 steam and 6 diesel locomotives including Chicago & North Western # 1385 and over 100 other pieces of...
- Lake Superior and IshpemingLake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadThe Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896...
63 (1910 combination baggage-coach), at the National Railroad Museum - Munising Railway 64 (1910 coach), at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
- Virginia and TruckeeVirginia and Truckee RailroadThe Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the...
20 (1907 combination baggage-coach), at the Orange Empire Railway MuseumOrange Empire Railway MuseumThe Orange Empire Railway Museum , 2201 South "A" Street, Perris, California, is a railroad museum founded in 1956 at the Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum." The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds.-Background:The collection focuses on Southern... - Yosemite Valley 330 (1907 parlor-observation), at the Niles Canyon RailwayNiles Canyon RailwayThe Niles Canyon Railway is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, USA. The railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niles Canyon Transcontinental...
In addition, Hicks purchased four Jackson & Sharp Co.
Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer and shipbuilder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1863 by Job H. Jackson , a tinsmith and retail merchant, and Jacob F. Sharp Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer...
narrow gauge coaches from the Ulster & Delaware R.R.
Ulster and Delaware Railroad
The Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company was a Class I railroad located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout and founded in 1866. It was often advertised as "The Only All-Rail Route To the Catskill Mountains." At its greatest extent, the U&D ran from Kingston Point, on the Hudson River,...
between August 1899 & June 1900 and resold them to the White Pass and Yukon Route
White Pass and Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. Class II narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the...
in May 1901 (WP&YR ##218, 220, 222, and 224). These four cars have been rebuilt several times under White Pass ownership and remain in service.