Location: Milwaukee Junction - Peninsular Car Works

Michigan Car Company + others → Peninsular Car Company → American Car & Foundry Company

Started: 1864 as Michigan Car Company

Operated for 35 years.

Consolidated: Michigan Car, Peninsular Car, Detroit Wheel, Michigan Forge & Iron Co. and Detroit Pipe & Foundry, Baugh Steam Forge Co. in 1892.

Became: American Car & Foundry in 1899.

Michigan Car was founded in 1864 and in 1873 built a large plant located at Grand Trunk Junction (West Detroit). This was in the northeast quadrant of the crossing, north of the MC, west of the D&BC and east of the CGT&D. It was co-located with the Detroit Car Wheel Company.

In 1879, the Peninsular Car Company was formed. They located operations on the Detroit River at the foot of Adair. Around 1880, Peninsular acquired the Adrian Car Company in Adrian, Lenawee County. In 1884, the foundry at their plant burned.

The Peninsular Car Works constructed a new plant at Milwaukee Junction in 1884.

Around 1893 the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company was formed by the two companies.

In 1899, the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company became one of the 13 independent car builders consolidated into the American Car & Foundry Company. [MID]

After the first World War, the Detroit plant switched from rail car production to building motor coaches. [MID]

Leadership

Michigan Car Company - James McMillan, John Newberry, Hugh McMillan, Z.P. Brockway, E.C. Dean, George Eaton.

Peninsular Car Company - Frank Hecker, Charles L. Freer, Allan Shelden, R.A. Alger and James F. Joy

History of Peninsular Car Works and Company

Transcribed from the March 29, 1885 edition of the Detroit Free Press

These car works are the largest and most complete on the continent, and a glance at the scores of dwellings which are being erected on the out-lots adjacent to them will satisfy even the most incredulous that something more than a mild boom is going on.

The Location

The new works are situated at the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Junction, and at present are connected with the Grand Trunk system (including the DGH&M), Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, and Wabash railroads. As soon as the weather permits a side track half a mile long will be laid to the point known as the Detroit & Bay City crossing [later Beaubien Street Tower], connecting the works with the Michigan Central, DL&N and F&PM railroads, thus affording every opportunity for shipping and receiving freight to any point.

Sewerage and Water Supply

The grounds are well drained by a complete and costly system of sewerage leading into the main sewer on Russell street. The water supply is furnished by the city from the new main laid last year in Russell street, and is conducted through a six-inch pipe into all the buildings and leading to a large reservoir having a capacity of 40,000 gallons. The company have laid an independent system of pipes for use in case of fire, against which there is very little protection afforded by the city. This system is operated by an immense steam pump located in the main engine room. There are six fire-plugs distributed over the grounds and the fire equipment consists of three hose reels, a large quantity of two and one-half inch hose, hand grenades, fire buckets, etc.

Winding through the building and surrounding the grounds is a perfect system of standard and narrow gauge tracks. These are used in conveying the raw material in and through the various shops until it is finally put together and sent out as a perfect car. The cost of handling the material was also considered when the several shops were located. The shops in which the rough work is done are situated at the southern extremity of the premises, and the various materials used in manufacturing cars are transported from building to building until the erecting shop is reached, where they are put together to form a car.

All the buildings are so situated that each successive transfer is made in a forward direction, thus effecting a vast saving in the matter of handling. All the buildings are built of brick with truss roofs, the blacksmith, machine and wood-working shops having basements.

The Cleaning Shop

This structure is 50x50. Here are brought the castings from the soft casting foundry, that the sand and burrs may be removed from them. It contains cinder and cleaning mills, emery wheels, chipping benches and other such machinery and tools as are necessary for the final preparation of the castings. The cleaning mills are so arranged that the process of filling them requires but a moment of time. They are fitted with two doors, on opposite sides, so that while one opening permits the iron to fall into a receiving car, the other is at the proper angle to allow the contents of another car to be dumped into the cylinder. This is the only mill of its kind in practical use in this country, and is the invention of one of the employees. Adjoining the cleaning shop is the 

Soft Casting Foundry

The dimensions of the building are 132x146. It is equipped with a "D" Colliau cupola sixty-nine feet high, having a sixty-two inch shell, forty-eight inches inside of lining, four feet legs, and having double landing doors. In this foundry all the miscellaneous castings other than car wheels are made. The building is connected with the wheel foundry by an elevated track, so that in case either of the elevators used in hoisting the iron to the  cupola should break, the other may do service for both buildings.

The pattern-room is located in one corner of the foundry, and here are stored the patterns of the innumerable castings used in the construction of cars. In the read of the foundry are the core and charging rooms, and the foundry engine room. The core oven is here also, where the cores are baked until they become hard and fit for use. In the engine room is a Buckey engine of 100 horsepower, used in driving the machinery in the cleaning room and also the cupola blowers. The core room is 31x48; charging room, 36x31; engine room, 31x48.

The Wheel Foundry

This building is 116x102. The equipment consists of a "B" Colliau cupola, 69 feet high from bottom of foundation plates to  top of stack; 72-inch shell; 58 inches inside of lining. The cupola has an air box 10 feet high, with a spiral diaphragm in the air chambers. The principle of the stack is to heat the blast before it passes into the sheet. The benefits derived from this are improved quality of iron and economy in fuel. It is the only cupola having this feature now in use and is giving good satisfaction. In the rear of the foundry in the charging room is a steam drop ball for breaking car wheels. The molten iron is conveyed from the cupola to the flasks in huge ladles swung from an overhead crane operated by steam and controlled by a system of wire brakes. After the wheels are cast they are lifted from the flasks by this crane and conveyed to the annealing pits, of which there are 40, on the west side of the foundry. After remaining in these pits until properly annealed, they are taken out and conveyed by means of the steam crane and an ingenious carriage having an automatic dump to the cleaning room, where all superfluous sand is removed. The capacity of the foundry is 225 wheels per day.

The Forging and Machine Shops

Are 362x82 in size. The machine shop contains three planers, four lathes, four bolt cutters, five nut tappers, two arch bar drills, four drills, emery wheels, grinding machines and other miscellaneous small tools.

In the forge shop are 25 single and 12 double fires, operated by two huge blowers. There are also three combined punch and shear machines, one upsetting machine, two steam hammers, two bolt-headers, one arch-bar former and several bending and shaping machines. All the wrought iron used in the construction of cars is forged in this department.

The Truck Shop

In this building, which is 92x50, the trucks are made and erected. It contains one 42-inch wheel press, one 42-inch Bement wheel borer, one 33-inch wheel borer, one 333-inch wheel press and two other borers, beside five axle lathes. In this department all wheels are bored, axles centered and turned, and the wheels pressed upon axles at a pressure varying from 25 to 40 tons.

The Main Engine Room

The dimensions of which are 65x22, contains a Buckeye engine of 500 horse power and a huge steam pump. This engine furnishes power for all departments except the soft casting foundry.

The Wood-Working Shop

This is one of the largest buildings of the entire group, being 252x142, with a basement of the same dimensions. This building is equipped with the most improved machinery and shavings from each machine are conveyed through a system of pipes into the boiler-room to be utilized as fuel. The most important feature of this department is the entire absence of shafting, which is situated in the basement. This insures plenty of light and also lessens the danger.

The Erecting Shop

Is situated in the extreme north end of the grounds and is 322x162. In it are eight standard gauge building tracks, holding eighty cars in various stages of completion, and also several narrow gauge tracks for construction and material cars.

Other Buildings

The boiler room, 52x56, contains a battery of five steel tubular boilers of the latest pattern, fitted with the Backus smoke and dust consumers. The dry room, 50x70, has a capacity of about 90,000 feet of timber, and the main storehouse, 52x42, where are kept the oils and lubricants and other material used in the works. There is also a building for mixing and preparing paints, and coke and iron sheds. 

The office building is 60x40, two stories in height. On the ground floor are the offices of the General Superintendent, superintendents of foundries, draughtsman, and other mechanical officers. On the top floor are the main business offices, and the offices of the President, Secretary and Treasurer, and stenographers. The woodwork is finished in oil, and in each room are marble mantles and grates, this building, as well as all others being heated by steam also.

Capacity of the Works

At present the company is turning out 15 cars per day, which will be increased to 20 during the next fortnight. To perform this amount of labor 700 hands are employees, but as soon as the works are in full blast and turning out 30 cars per day this number will be increased to 1,500. Every car turned out represents one carload of material used in construction.

Box cars cost from $400 to $450; flats, $300 to $350; caboose, $750 to $800; refrigerators, $750 to $900. When the works are running at full capacity there will be used each day 125,000 feet of lumber, 45 to 50 tons of bar iron; 120 tons of pig iron; twenty tons of axles; besides nuts, brasses, etc.

What Has Been Done

The Peninsular Car Company have built cars for the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, Central Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, Wabash, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, Chicago & Atlantic, Standard Oil Company, Ohio Central, Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo, Rome Waters town & Ogdensburg, Portland & Ogdensburg, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Rochester & Pittsburgh, Chicago & West Michigan, Long Island, Southern Central and Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago railroads.

Present Contracts

They have contracts for furnishing the following cars:

• Wabash - 200 stock, 390 box and 10 furniture cars
• Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad - 200 flat, 500 stock and 15 cabooses
• Northern Pacific - 50 refrigerators
• Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf - 10 cabooses
• Chicago & Northwestern - 40 cabooses
• Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha - 200 stock and 15 refrigerators

Personal of the Company

This company is the successor of the old Peninsular Car Works, organized in 1879, and is composed of the following gentlemen:

• Frank J. Hecker, President
• Allan Shelden, Vice President
• C.L. Freer, Secretary and Treasurer
• R.A. Alger
• James F. Joy

The five constitute the Board of Directors. The capital stock is $300,000, all paid in, of which Mr. Hecker owns $100,000 and each of the others $50,000.

[DFP-1885-0329]

Notes

Time Line

1879. Michigan Car works employed Henry Ford for a brief period of time as a mechanic. [MID]

1883. The Michigan Car plant burns. [MID]

1884. February. Articles of association of the Peninsular Car Company were filed, for the purpose of manufacturing freight cars in Detroit. The Executive officers are the same as those of the Peninsular Car Works. The shops now operated at Detroit and Adrian will be consolidated and located at Detroit. The new company was organized by James F. Joy, who holds 2,000 shares ($50,000); R.A. Alger, 2,000 shares ($50,000); Allan Shelden, 2,000 shares ($50,000); Frank J. Hecker, 4,000 shares ($100,000); C.L. Freer, 2,000 shares ($50,000); the total capital being $300,000. The company has purchased 25 acres of land near Milwaukee Junction. The location of this enterprise at the Junction has created a sensation in that part of the city.

The Peninsular Car Works, during the four years and since its organization, has expended large sums of money in Detroit. It was organized in December 1879, and began turning out cars from the shops at the foot of Adair street, the lease of which expires next December.

The following November, they purchased and began to operate the shops at Adrian. [DFP-1884-0220]