The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915: A Study in American Industrial Practice (Studies in Industry and Society) [Hardcover]

Professor John K. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995 | Series: Studies in Industry and Society

The largest maker of heavy machinery in Gilded Age America and an important global exporter, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia achieved renown as one of the nation's most successful and important firms. Relying on gifted designers and skilled craftsmen, Baldwin built thousands of standard and custom steam locomotives, ranging from narrow gauge 0-4-0 industrial engines to huge mallet compounds. John K. Brown analyzes the structure of railroad demand; the forces driving continual innovation in locomotive design; Baldwin's management systems, shop-floor skills, and career paths; and the evolution of production methods.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Has a place in the library of any thoughtful railfan... Brown delivers an insightful account of the machinery, tools, and operations of making locomotives... The parts-drawings in the book... are marvelous." -- Railroad History Bulletin

"A remarkable history of the Philadelphia firm that built 'roughly one-third of all the steam locomotives ever constructed in America.'." -- Journal of American History

"This engaging portrait of the world's preeminent builder of locomotives adds considerably to our knowledge of the variety of industrial enterprise in America. Brown's research is exhaustive and his arguments are clear and well constructed. Likewise, the press and editors are to be commended for the lavish illustrations that nicely complement the text." -- Ken Fones-Wolf, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

"An exemplary volume that should join the essential works detailing the anatomy of late-nineteenth-century production." -- Steven W. Usselman, Journal of Economic History

About the Author

John K. Brown teaches the history of engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801850479
• ISBN-13: 978-0801850479
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Railroads

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great study of nineteenth century business, October 30, 2002

By 

Eric C. Welch (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915: A Study in American Industrial Practice (Studies in Industry and Society) (Paperback)

In eight weeks, thousands of workers at the Baldwin Works of Philadelphia would take a custom design from drawings to finished product. By 1905, more than seven engines rolled out of the plant every day. How this was done is the subject of this very interesting book. Baldwin was the premier locomotive manufacturer and ranked at the top of American industry for sixty years. Ironically, the major strength of the Baldwin company, the ability to build custom products efficiently to the customer's specific demands, was to prove a major weakness as the economy changed to a more consumer-driven environment where "standardized products, hierarchical managerial structures, and market control strategies dominated." Builders could not compete with manufacturers who mass-produced standard designs.

Matthias Baldwin began as a jewel smith in Philadelphia, but he was enamored of technology and soon built a small engine. More than a toy, it powered his first shop for forty years and now resides in the Smithsonian. Philadelphia, home of the Franklin Institute, which supported new inventions and technology, was also the home of numerous machine shops, and soon Baldwin had created a shop where he began to design ever better steam engines for railroads. He invented the Jervis leading truck, a pair of wheels that moved along as the track curved, reducing the number of derailments. His flexible-beam design became very popular because it had more driving wheels and with the weight of the engine over the drivers it could pull longer and heavier freight trains. By 1846, his shop made forty-two types of engines, he had paid off all his debts, and he had survived the panic of 1837, a severe market reversal. He had also bought out his early partners, making him the sole owner of the company.

You really have to be a locomotive or railroad buff to enjoy this book (isn't everybody?), but there is also a great deal about capitalism and market conditions in the nineteenth century. The Baldwin Works managed productivity increases on an average of 3.1% per year, as compared with 1.9% nationally, and it accomplished this through organizational and technical changes. By 1906, Baldwin was producing a locomotive every three hours, twenty-four hours a day. Baldwin minimized the risk inherent in the system by engaging in industry-wide price-fixing agreements, and he relied on "just-in-time" inventory supplies to reduce the need for substantial working capital. He drew a great deal of technical expertise from his customers, the railroads. The author suggests that Baldwin's success came also because of his reliance on a core of skilled workers rather than on trying to improve profits by manipulating workers and exploiting them.

That Baldwin rapidly lost ground to the diesel-electric engine may suggest that individual leadership tied to an entrenched way of operation might be a disadvantage in the long run.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Thorough Study, March 24, 2004

By 

J. head (littlteton, nh USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915: A Study in American Industrial Practice (Studies in Industry and Society) (Hardcover)

This reader did not see any blurb about the author on this edition, but the author shows a strong bent for letting the historical research speak for itself and obviously knowledgble about current trends in manufacturing. It is an amazingly thorough book . Some readers may find lessons here, some just a litany of facts.
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was the dominant Locomotive manufacturer and capital equipment maker in the U.S. during the Gilded Age. The company's experiences are still the experiences of today's manufacturing firms, especially the heavy equipment manufacturers. The company began in the 1830's and closed its doors for good in 1956. In the decades close to the 1900's it was the dominant locomotive and heavy equipment maker in the country. The author brings forth the following
themes and issues this company dealt with are still very current with manufacturer today
1)balancing skilled and unskilled labor, running an apprentice program
2)concentrating on manger-producers, the company scorned professional or middle
managent to the point where foreman did the hiring for their departments.
3) Labor strife was mostly non-existent for decades, the company's stated position was
to make the company's goal the workers goal also.
4) factory floor production control relied on a card and list tickler system to expedite job orders
5) Located in the industrial down town of Philadelphia, it had a cadre of local close-knit
suppliers
6) To spur productivity the company introduced piecework and often a group of workers would band behind a foreman to act as in-house contractors. The workers would strive to perform the necessary cost cutting to produce a set number of parts for a set price and if successful the profits from the savings would be split among the contracting group.
7) A strong "not invented here culture" caused it to disdain efficiency work studies
requiring professional middle management.
8) The impact of the paradigm shift from steam to diesel locomotive power.

The Baldwin locomotive company also bridged the era of the introduction of gas and then electric lights, it boosted productivity as the same assets, buildings and equipemnt could now produce 24 hours a day. In 1906 the company produced 2,666 locomotives, In the era around World War I the inevitable decline started. It was a partnership company in world of corporations with their professional management. Baldwin had a historically low profit margin making customer designed products. The custom designing took an army of draftsmen,and skilled labor at assembly. The final nail in the coffin was General Motors entry into the market. With a corporate structure, and years of experince in the American System of Manufacturing (mass production), GM lured the railroads over to standard design diesel locomotives from Baldwin's custom built steam engines on price alone. Baldwin's low profit margins prevented it from entering the Diesel market and effectively competing. Instead the company went the way of the steam locomotive and closed in 1956.
My hat is off to this author, he not only touched upon every issue, he excelled at the explanations. The style of using subchapters with titles reinforces the organization of the information brought forth. This is not a book for everybody, but most people involved in manufactuirng or management will find something of interest. Still the book is geared for the researcher. A little explanation of locomotive design terminology would have been helpful.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive hsitory of Industrial Practice, May 2, 2005

By 

C. F. Gurney (Des Moines, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915: A Study in American Industrial Practice (Studies in Industry and Society) (Paperback)

This is not a typical history of a locomotive builder. Many of us, and I confess that includes myself, are fascinated by steam engines, their design and operation. They seem to signify a simpler time. However, what they really are is an artifact of the industrialization of the western world. In their day, these locomotives represented the largest, most complicated pieces of machinery on land. This book was advertised as being a study in the organization of the COMPANY that built these machines: not of the machines themselves. I found Brown's book to be exactly what was advertised: a study of a 19th century leading industrial concern. I found the research thorough and the points well-reasoned.

There are many interesting facts to be gleaned: how Baldwin really was a mass-customization producer well before anyone understood the concept. How the railroads, not the company, literally dictated the trends in locomotive design. That the locomotive industry was subject to severe cyclical buying patterns. And finally, that Baldwin enjoyed a stretch of over 50 years of labor relations completely unblemished by strikes or worker actions.

If you are looking for a history of Baldwin steam locomotives, their design and use, this is NOT the book for you. If you are looking to learn more about the business practices of one of the largest American large-equipment builders of the 1800, the markets in which the firm existed, labor relations and more, then this is a must buy.