Michigan Car Company
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Car Company was a railroad
rolling stock
manufacturer located in Detroit, Michigan
.
The Michigan Car Company was organized in 1864 by John S. Newberry
(b. 1826) and James McMillan
(b. 1838) to manufacture railroad cars for the Union Army
. In 1873 it relocated its main factory to Grand Trunk Junction. Newberry and McMillan also started supplier companies including an iron works and the Detroit Wheel Company.
Along with Russell A. Alger
's competing Peninsular Car Company
, Michigan Car was the largest manufacturer in "Gilded Age
" Detroit. By the 1890s, the Detroit railroad car manufacturers earned some $14.7 million in revenue from the manufacture of cars, car wheels, roofs, and repair work, while employing around 6,000 workers. Average production rates were around 76 cars per day.
In 1892, Michigan Car and Peninsular Car merged to form the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company
, which was the largest manufacturer of railroad cars in the US. In 1899, it merged with a dozen other smaller firms to form American Car and Foundry.
Henry Ford
was employed at the Michigan Car company beginning in 1879. Charles Brady King
was a representative from 1889 to 1892.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
manufacturer located in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
The Michigan Car Company was organized in 1864 by John S. Newberry
John Stoughton Newberry
John Stoughton Newberry was a U.S. Representative and industrialist from the state of Michigan.Newberry was born in Waterville, New York and moved with his parents to Michigan when a child, residing successively in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Romeo. He was the nephew of Walter Loomis Newberry and...
(b. 1826) and James McMillan
James McMillan (Senator)
James McMillan was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.-Biography:McMillan was born in Hamilton, Ontario to William and Grace McMillan, both Scottish natives...
(b. 1838) to manufacture railroad cars for the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. In 1873 it relocated its main factory to Grand Trunk Junction. Newberry and McMillan also started supplier companies including an iron works and the Detroit Wheel Company.
Along with Russell A. Alger
Russell A. Alger
Russell Alexander Alger was the 20th Governor and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and also U.S. Secretary of War during the Presidential administration of William McKinley...
's competing Peninsular Car Company
Peninsular Car Company
The Peninsular Car Company was a railroad rolling stock manufacturer, founded by Charles L. Freer and Frank J. Hecker in 1885.In 1892, the company merged with Michigan Car Company, the Russel Wheel and Foundry Company, the Detroit Car Wheel Company and several smaller manufacturers to form the...
, Michigan Car was the largest manufacturer in "Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
" Detroit. By the 1890s, the Detroit railroad car manufacturers earned some $14.7 million in revenue from the manufacture of cars, car wheels, roofs, and repair work, while employing around 6,000 workers. Average production rates were around 76 cars per day.
In 1892, Michigan Car and Peninsular Car merged to form the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company
Michigan-Peninsular Car Company
The Michigan-Peninsular Car Company was a railroad rolling stock manufacturing company formed from the merger of five manufacturing companies in 1892...
, which was the largest manufacturer of railroad cars in the US. In 1899, it merged with a dozen other smaller firms to form American Car and Foundry.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
was employed at the Michigan Car company beginning in 1879. Charles Brady King
Charles Brady King
]]Charles Brady King was an American engineer & entrepreneur remembered as an automotive pioneer, artist, etcher, musician, poet, architect, mystic, industrialist and inventor....
was a representative from 1889 to 1892.
Sources
- May, George S., Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography, Bruccoli Clark Layman, 1990, ISBN 0-8160-2084-1