H.K. Porter, Inc. (Porter) manufactured light-duty

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s in the US, starting in 1866. The company became the largest producer of industrial locomotives, and built almost eight thousand of them. The last locomotive was built in 1950, but the company continues to produce industrial equipment to this day. Porter was known for building locomotives for

industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British r ...

s, which were often small enough that they could be operated by one person. Porter built mostly steam locomotives, but also some

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

- and

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

- engined locomotives, and some that ran on

compressed air Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. Compressed air in vehicle tires and shock absorbers are commonly used for improved traction and reduced vibration. Compressed air is an important medium for t ...

History

In 1866 Henry Kirke Porter formed a partnership with John Y. Smith, forming the company Smith & Porter. They opened a small machine shop on 28th Street in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and begin repairing and building industrial equipment. They received an order for their first locomotive on March 4, 1867, and built the ''Joshua Rhodes'' for the New Castle Railroad and Mining Company. They went on to build 43 locomotives together, including the ''Minnetonka'' which is preserved at the Lake Superior Museum of Transportation. They specialized in four wheeled, saddle tank locomotives for small industrial railroads. On February 7, 1871 a fire broke out in the shop destroying twelve locomotives under construction, the shop, and 23 adjacent structures. The losses were estimated at $200,000, and the partnership was dissolved. Smith formed Smith & Dawson Locomotives, which became National Locomotive Works. Porter formed a partnership with Arthur W. Bell, called Porter, Bell & Co. and they built their first locomotive for the Jackson Furnace Co. of Michigan. They expanded their range to include light passenger engines and small freight engines, primarily for narrow gauge railroads. They built 223 locomotives, until Arthur Bell died in May 1878. Porter continued the business on his own, as H.K. Porter & Co. He had established a reputation as a builder of rugged, specialized locomotives and the company could custom build a locomotive quickly and efficiently, with a system of

interchangeable parts Interchangeable parts are parts (wikt:component#Noun, components) that are identical for practical purposes. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. One ...

; pistons, wheels and boilers in various sizes that can be combined to suit a customer's requirements. Some of the basic designs were kept in stock, and could be ordered off the shelf. In 1890, Porter built their first compressed-air locomotive, for a coal mine in Pennsylvania. Air was stored in two tanks, and used to drive the pistons instead of steam. Coal-fired locomotives were unsuitable for use underground because they produced dangerous fumes and could start fires. Porter went on to build over 400 compressed-air locomotives. Although other manufacturers built compressed-air locomotives, by 1900 Porter had captured 90% of the market. In 1899, the company was incorporated as H.K. Porter Co., Inc and built a new plant at 49th and Harrison Street in Pittsburgh. Production peaked in 1906, with almost 400 locomotives built that year. Porter built their first gasoline-powered locomotive in 1906, and in 1915 they built their first

fireless locomotive A fireless locomotive is a type of locomotive which uses reciprocating engines powered from a reservoir of compressed air or steam, which is filled at intervals from an external source. They offer advantages over conventional steam locomotives of ...

, using a large pressure vessel to hold steam and hot water in place of a boiler. These proved to be more useful than compressed-air locomotives, and soon Porter dominated this niche market. 1919: Porter was selected to build twenty 45-class mainline locomotives for the

Manila Railroad Company The Manila Railroad Company (MRR) was a Filipino state-owned enterprise responsible for the management and operation of rail transport in the island of Luzon. It was originally established by an English people, Englishman named Edmund Sykes as t ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to replace its aging British

tank locomotives A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender (rail), tender. Most tank engines also have Fuel bunker, bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a #Tender ...

. The class weighed and were one of the largest locomotives built by the company. Its efficiency and low cost of maintenance led the Manila Railroad to use the Porter design for larger locomotives built by

Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...

and Baldwin. 1921: The H.K. Porter Co. was prosperous, enjoying a post-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

reconstruction boom in Europe, and a road construction boom in the US. Porters were a favorite choice among grading contractors, who used light, portable tracks to carry the wooden tipper-cars that were the earthmoving equipment of the day. Henry Porter, still running the company at age 81, died on April 10. 1939: After a long decline, the H.K. Porter Co. declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

Thomas Mellon Evans Thomas Mellon Evans (September 8, 1910 – July 17, 1997) was an American financier who was one of the country's early corporate raiders, as well as a philanthropist and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder who with Pleasant Colony won the 19 ...

purchased the company, determined to turn it around. He bought other manufacturing companies, adding them to his collection. Locomotive production increased again during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the company was recognized for its service to the country in 1942, but demand for steam locomotives dwindled post-war, and H.K. Porter became primarily a holding company for the many subsidiaries Evans had acquired. 1950: The company built its last locomotive, which was exported to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The parts business and all the required patterns were sold to the Davenport Locomotive Works in Iowa. 1950s–1960s: Electrical Division National Electric Defense Products Facilities manufactured

rocket motor A rocket engine is a reaction engine, producing thrust in accordance with Newton's third law by ejecting reaction mass rearward, usually a high-speed jet of high-temperature gas produced by the combustion of rocket propellants stored inside t ...

bodies for Nike family of

guided missiles A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this u ...

. 1969: The company acquired saw manufacturer Shurly & Dietrich, which continued operations until 1973.

Divisions

The company had the following industrial divisions and subsidiaries: ; Rubber and Friction Products * Thermoid Division ; Electrical Equipment * Delta Star Electric Division * National Electric Division ; Copper and Alloys * Riverside Alloy Metal Division ; Refractories * Refractories Division ; Electric Furnace Steel * Connors Steel Division * Vulcan-Kidd Steel Division ; Fabricated Products * Disston Division * Forge and Fittings Division * Leschen Wire Rope Division * Mouldings Division H.K. Porter Company Ltd. was a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary which had the following divisions: * Refractories Division * Disston Tools Division * Federal Wires and Cables Division * Nepcoduct Systems Division

Kalmbach collection

The largest collection of Porter photographs and information is currently housed in the Kentlein Porter Collection at the A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library (a service of the

National Model Railroad Association The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) is an American non-profit organization for those involved in the hobby or business of model railroading. It was founded in the United States in 1935, and is also active in Canada, Australia, the Unit ...

) in Chattanooga, TN. Many of the 780 builder's photos, blueprints and other locomotive data were republished in ''Porter Steam Locomotives'', published by the library.

Gallery

File:Porter builder's plate.jpg, H. K. Porter Company

builder's plate A builder's plate is usually a metal plate that is attached to railway locomotives and rolling stock, bogies, construction equipment, trucks, automobiles, large household appliances, bridges, ships and more. It gives such information as the nam ...

, 1914 File:Porter.loco2.JPG, Above 0-6-0 #65, inside view File:Cn0205a.jpg, Porter Locomotive of 1874 File:The Minnetonka.jpg, The Minnetonka. File:Porter08.jpg, Porter used by grading contractor File:MRR Porter 65 Caloocan.jpg, Manila Railroad Porter 65, built in 1921. File:St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern -5 (Porter 2-4-2).jpg, St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway 5, a "Columbian" type, was built by H.K. Porter, formerly as a tank engine. File:PorterSPCRR.jpg, Preserved

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

Porter locomotive running in 2005 File:Otaru Museum, steam locomotive H. K. Porter No.672, in 2008-06-13.jpg, No.672 of 1884, exhibited in Otaru Museum File:7100 series steam locomotive at Kyoto Railway Museum (30576221520).jpg, 7100 series steam locomotive at

Kyoto Railway Museum The (formerly the until 2016) is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum. The museum is owned by We ...

File:Porterveturi.jpg, Narrow gauge Porter. Oldest operational locomotive in Finland (built 1901). Today used in

Jokioinen Museum Railway The Jokioinen Museum Railway () is a heritage railway running between Jokioinen and Humppila in Finland. It is located on part of the route of the last commercially operating narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge railway in Finland, the gauge Jokio ...

. File:Otaru Museum, steam locomotive Iron Horse (H. K. Porter No.4514), in 2008-06-13.jpg, No.4514 of 1909, used in Otaru Museum. File:Steam locomotive Iron Horse of Otaru Museum.ogv, No.4514. (video) File:RRVRR-1.jpg, Rogue River Valley Railroad number 1, built in 1891. File:Ore Engine, Randsburg Ghost Town 1987 (6944550439).jpg,

Yellow Aster Mine Yellow Aster Mine was a large gold mine in Southern California. Discovery In 1894, Prospecting, prospectors Frederic Mooers and William Langdon ventured into the Red Mountain, California, Red Mountain range in the Mojave Desert, where they di ...

Porter number 3, built in 1909 File:Compressed Air Loco.jpg, Compressed-air locomotive used at the Homestake Mine, 1928–1961

References

External links