Rhode Island Locomotive Works was a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

manufacturing company in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. The factory produced more than 3,400 locomotives between 1867 and 1906, when the plant's locomotive production was shut down. At its peak, the locomotive works employed about 1,400 men who could produce some 250 locomotives a year.

Origins

The Rhode Island Locomotive Works was established in 1865 by Earl Philip Mason, Sr. The company was later run by his three sons: Charles Felix Mason was president, Arthur Livingstone Mason was vice-president and Earl Philip Mason, Jr. was secretary and treasurer. Joseph Lythgoe was the superintendent of the locomotive works. The company was located on Hemlock Street in Providence. From 1866 to 1899, it produced some 3,400 steam locomotives. Earl Philip Mason, Jr. was born in Providence on August 5, 1848, and died at

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, on March 17, 1901. He was the son of Earl Philip and Lucy Ann (Larcher) Mason. He received his early education at Mowry & Goff's School and at the Highland Military Academy in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. He entered

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1868 and took a special two-year course but did not graduate. He then went to Germany to study at

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. After joining the Rhode Island Locomotive Works in 1872, he remained with the company until 1895, eventually becoming vice-president. He married on April 18, 1872, at New York City, to Mary Elizabeth Raymond, (born September 10, 1849, in New York City and died on June 13, 1897, in Morristown, New Jersey). She was the daughter of

Henry Jarvis Raymond Henry Jarvis Raymond (January 24, 1820 – June 18, 1869) was an American journalist, politician, and co-founder of ''The New York Times'', which he founded with George Jones. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, Lieutenant Governor ...

, the founder of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

;'' and Juliette Weaver.

Merger

In 1901, the Rhode Island Locomotive Works merged with seven other locomotive manufacturers to form the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

(ALCO), headquartered in Schenectady, New York. The Rhode Island works, which had already begun to diversify, built a line of automobiles and trucks from 1906 until 1913.

Present day

The old Rhode Island Locomotive Works plant, along with the adjoining Nicholson File and

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buildings, was the center of a $333 million commercial and residential redevelopment project that went bankrupt in 2010. In 2013, The Foundry Associates, L.P., a privately owned real estate investment firm, acquired the property for $19.05 million and completed the development. Today it is an active office park with business tenants like United Natural Foods (UNFI), Equity National Title, RI Commerce Corporation, Brewster Thornton Architects, MMID Product Development and Fuss and O'Neill.

Preserved Rhode Island locomotives

This is a list of locomotives built by the Providence plant before the ALCO merger that have been preserved. This is a list of locomotives built by ALCO at the facility that have been preserved.https://www.steamlocomotive.info/ddsearchnew.cfm

References

{{NA Loco builders Defunct locomotive manufacturers of the United States Industrial buildings and structures in Rhode Island