The Kalamazoo Railroad Velocipede and Car Company was founded in 1883 by George Miller and Horace Haines in Kalamazoo, Michigan with a capital stock of forty-five thousand dollars. The factory at Pitcher Street in downtown Kalamazoo was located next to the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (GR&I) and was described as "located admirably for its purposes". By 1901 the company name had changed to the Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company. It manufactured hand and push cars, motor inspection cars, velocipedes, jacks, tanks and fixtures, stand pipes and other products needed for railroad work. The company moved to a larger factory on Reed Street (also next to the GR&I), that still stands today. A postcard of the Reed Street factory in its early days is shown below.
In the early 40’s, the company diversified into the materials handling field with a "Speed Truck", an early ancestor of today’s personnel and material vehicles used as intra-plant transportation in many corporations. Many of these trucks used the same Wisconsin 16HP air-cooled engine that was in Kalamazoo motor cars. Eventually this product line grew to include a platform model, a dump model and a runabout, a minimalist vehicle for 1 person to sit on and with no cargo space. By the early 50’s, the growing non-railroad business caused a final name change to the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company.
A 1960 catalog shows model 56W and 57W lightweight utility railroad motor cars, used for patrol cars, inspection and section use. The 56W contained an air-cooled Wisconsin 4 cycle 2-cylinder motor, rated at 16.4 H.P. Transmission was a synchromesh gearbox with 2 speeds forward and 2 speeds reverse. A roller chain connected the transmission to the rear axle. Timken roller bearings, 16" insulated wheels and cast iron four-wheel brakes were standard, all adding up to a weight of 895lbs without a cab. The 57W contained an air-cooled Wisconsin 4 cycle 1-cylinder motor, rated at 9.2 H.P. Weight of this model was 790lbs. Extra equipment included two different types of cab, gong, coupler, electric starter and generator. Perhaps surprisingly, magneto ignition was still standard in 1960. Kalamazoo cars were good sellers overseas, particularly in South America and Australia. In fact, the generic term for railroad motor car in Australia was "Kalamazoo". In contrast, they never were more than minor players within the U.S., most railroads having just a few of them around.
Larger motor cars were the 27A (10 men capacity), 27AW-F (10 men capacity), and 38B-F (14 men capacity). Adding side steps could double the number of men carried, although surely it would have been crowded. The 27A had a air-cooled four cylinder Wisconsin engine with magneto ignition and a Zenith carburetor that developed 22HP. The 27AW-F and 38B-F had a water-cooled four cylinder Ford engine that developed 40HP. Other products in 1960 that ran on the rails included a power tamping jack, a ballast equalizer with plow and sweeper, a spike driver and a line of trailers and push carts. Track gauges and levels, plus portable setoff assembly and take off rails rounded out the railroad catalog. A 2001 photo of the building is shown below.
In 1968, the railroad business of the company was bought out by Tamper Inc. of Columbia, South Carolina and all future motor cars were built in South Carolina under the Tamper brand. Tamper merged with Fairmont in the 1990’s, which was then bought by Harsco.
The Speed Truck line continued for the company after production of railroad equipment ceased at Reed St. The model K45 was the largest platform truck in their 1960s catalogs with a 3000 pound payload. The model 2500 platform truck could carry 2000 pounds, as could the Model E1900 Low Bed Electric. The Kal-Truk was a three-wheel carrier most often used as a dump truck. It could carry 3000 pounds. Finally there was a small Electric Runabout which was a personnel carrier only. I've seen this model also called the Economizer.
0ne of the company's proudest moments must surely have been the four passenger vehicles it manufactured for use at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. This custom vehicle was named an "Escorter". A total of 150 were made. At least one of these vehicles still survives. In 1966 the Hawk family of Kalamazoo, who had a controlling interest in the company since 1953, bought out the remaining shares.
Despite a militant work force that went on strike a number of times, the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company continued with their personnel and materials carriers, reaching their one-hundredth year in business in 1983. They lasted at least until 1992 because I found a 1992 Burden Carrier for sale on eBay. Shortly after that the company must have quietly closed. Virtually no historic paperwork was saved to my knowledge. The only thing that now remains of the company today in Kalamazoo is a faded name on the front of a factory. However, an unknown number of railroad motor cars and Speed Trucks are still in use either for pleasure or to get the job done.
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27 November, 2009