Gilbert Car Company Explained
Gilbert Car Company was a railroad car builder based in Troy, New York.[1] It began manufacturing streetcars in the late 1880s. Gilbert cars were sold and exported worldwide.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Founded by Orsamus Eaton (1792–1872) and Uri Gilbert (1809–1888), the company changed names several times as the partnership changed:
- 1830 Eaton and Gilbert
- 1844 Eaton, Gilbert & Co[7]
- 1862 Uri Gilbert and Son
- 1864 Gilbert, Bush & Company
- 1879 Gilbert & Bush Co
- 1882 Gilbert Car Manufacturing Co
- 1889 Taylor Electric Truck Company
In 1879, Gilbert leased the Buffalo Car Works facility in Buffalo, which had a capacity of five to twelve new cars per day.[8] The Gilbert company saw some success in 1881 when it secured an order for several hundred refrigerator cars for the newly established American Refrigerator Transit Company.[9] In 1886, Gilbert leased the Jones Car Works of Schenectady.[10]
Following the Panic of 1893, and the death in March 1893 of company president Edward Gilbert, son of Uri Gilbert,[11] the company entered receivership in August 1893.[12] [13] [14] [15] Only a few months earlier, Gilbert had completed construction of a hundred cars for New York Central Railroad passenger trains.[16] Then in 1895, the company stopped building rail cars. Upon closure, the plant value was estimated at $400,000 .[17] In 1899, the plant was rumored to be the target of acquisition for conversion into an automobile manufacturing facility.[18] [19]
Products
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Mid-Continent Railway Museum. North Freedom, WI. Gilbert, Bush & Company. Builders of Wooden Railway Cars. 2011-01-18.
- News: The Railroads. The Buffalo Times. Buffalo, New York. February 22, 1884. 4. Newspapers.com.
- News: Railway Cars for England. Coldwater Enterprise. Coldwater, Kansas. October 10, 1891. 1. Newspapers.com.
- News: American Cars on English Roads. The Sun. New York, NY. October 3, 1891. 3. Newspapers.com.
- News: Mann Cars Going Abroad. The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. July 29, 1885. 6. Newspapers.com.
- News: For the South Australian Railways. The Morning Journal-Courier. New Haven, Connecticut. July 27, 1885. 4. Newspapers.com.
- News: 6 Troy Cars Set British Rail History. The Troy Record. Troy, New York. November 2, 1964. 22. Newspapers.com.
- News: The Gilbert Car Company. The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. October 14, 1879. 3. Newspapers.com.
- News: The Railroads. Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express. Buffalo, New York. May 3, 1881. 4. Newspapers.com.
- News: Local Railway News. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. November 30, 1886. 7. Newspapers.com.
- News: Edward Granger Gilbert. New York Tribune. New York, NY. March 8, 1893. 7. Newspapers.com.
- News: Big Concerns In Trouble. The New York Times. August 17, 1893. 8. Newspapers.com.
- News: Gilbert Car Company's Assets. Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, New York. August 18, 1893. 1. Newspapers.com.
- News: Failures East and West – Gilbert Car Manufacturing Company in the Hands of a Receiver. The Inter-Ocean. Chicago. August 17, 1893. 3. Newspapers.com.
- News: Car Manufacturers Fail – The Gilbert Company of Troy Closed by the Sheriff. The Salt Lake Herald. Salt Lake City, Utah. August 17, 1893. 1. Newspapers.com.
- News: Notes and Personals. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. St. Louis, Missouri. June 26, 1893. 7. Newspapers.com.
- News: The Gilbert Car Company Failure. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. July 11, 1895. 2. Newspapers.com.
- News: Auto-Truck Trust To Be Formed Here. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 29, 1899. 1. Newspapers.com.
- News: Automobile Company's Plant. The Sun. New York, NY. May 25, 1899. 2. Newspapers.com.
