Niles Car and Manufacturing Company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Niles Car and Manufacturing Company was an American manufacturer of railroad equipment, including many streetcar and interurban cars.[1][page needed] It was founded in 1901 in Niles, Ohio and published catalogs showcasing their various cars.[2]
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Defunct | 1917 |
| Successor | Engel Aircraft Company |
| Headquarters | Niles, Ohio, USA |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Streetcars and interurbans |
Niles specialized in building wooden-bodied cars in the heyday of interurban building.[1][page needed] Its cars had a reputation of being well-built and stylish; Niles advertising called them "The Electric Pullmans."[3][4]
The company also produced equipment for the trucking industry, an industry reference citing 2 models of 1 and 2 tons respectively, costing $1500 to $2400, utilizing a worm drive and custom bodies to suit.[5]
The company ceased producing railroad cars in 1917. The plant and equipment were purchased by the Engel Aircraft Company to produce aircraft parts for the United States Army Signal Corps.[6][7]
Customers
Niles' clients included[1][page needed] the:
- Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railroad (later the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad); including the oldest operating interurban in the US (#20)
- Bamberger Electric Railroad
- Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railway
- Northern Electric Railway (later part of the Sacramento Northern Railway)
- The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company
- Northern Ohio Traction & Light
- Pacific Northwest Traction Company
- Rochester, Lockport and Buffalo Railroad
- Rock Island Southern Railway
- San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway
- St. Paul Southern Electric Railway
- The Chicago Lake Shore and South Bend Railway
- Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway
- Toronto Civic Railways (DE DT M - late TTC Class H, H1 and H3 cars).
- Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
- Yakima Valley Transportation Company
- Youngstown and Ohio River Railroad
