Standard Steel Car Company
Railroad | |
Founded | 1902 |
---|---|
Founder | John M. Hansen, "Diamond Jim" Brady |
Defunct | 1934 |
Fate | Merger |
Successor | Pullman-Standard |
Headquarters | Butler, Pennsylvania, |
Products | Rolling stock |
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2021) ) |
The Standard Steel Car Company (SSC) was a manufacturer of
Established in 1902 in Butler, Pennsylvania by John M. Hansen and "Diamond Jim" Brady, the company quickly became one of the largest builders of steel cars in the United States. Pullman, Inc. purchased control of SSC in 1929 and merged it with Pullman Car & Manufacturing in 1934 to form Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company.
History
The overnight success of the
Hansen's carbuilding philosophy was the opposite of Pressed Steel Car founder
Expansion was immediate. Capacity was increased first to 60 cars a day, then 125 cars a day in 1903. Production peaked at 29,411 cars in 1907, 2,836 of those built in January of that year. In October of 1907, a ladle full of 9,000 lbs. of molten steel, exploded, killing 4 workers instantly, fatally wounding 20 others, and severely injuring 10 more. SSC would bounce back from this disaster. SSC's subsidiary, Standard Car Truck Company, opened at
"Diamond Jim" Brady died in 1917, and Hansen retired from the presidency in 1923, succeeded by Colonel James Frank Drake. Hansen stayed on as board chairman until his death in December 1929. That same month, Pullman Inc. agreed to purchase SSC for 610,000 shares of Pullman stock (worth approximately $51 million) and $6 million in cash. SSC continued to operate independently for several years as the
Acquisitions
SSC gained control of a number of other car builders during its existence.
- Middletown Car Works (Middletown, Pennsylvania) by 1909
- South Baltimore Car & Foundry (Baltimore, Maryland) by 1910
- Keith Car & Manufacturing Company (Sagamore, Massachusetts) by 1912
- Osgood Bradley Car Company (Worcester, Massachusetts) by 1913
- Illinois Car & Manufacturing (Chicago Heights and Hammond, Indiana) by 1928
- Richmond Car Works (Richmond, Virginia) by 1928
- Siems-Stembel Company (St. Paul, Minnesota) by 1928
- Canton Car Company (Canton, Ohio) by 1934
See also
References
- Kaminski, Edward S. (2007). Pullman-Standard Freight Cars, 1900-1960. Signature Press.
- )
- Neubauer, Eric A. (2002). Pullman-Standard Freight Car Production.
- OCLC 26130632.
- Middleton, William D.; Smerk, George M.; Diehl, Roberta L. (2007). Encyclopedia of North American Railroads. Indiana University Press.