The Michigan Car Company was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

manufacturer located in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The Michigan Car Company was organized in 1864 by John S. Newberry (b. 1826) and

James McMillan James (or Jim or Jimmy) McMillan or MacMillan may refer to: Sportspeople * James McMillan (footballer, born c. 1866) (c. 1866–?), played for Sunderland * James McMillan (footballer, born 1869) (1869–1937), played for Scotland,Everton and St ...

(b. 1838) in order to manufacture railroad cars for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. In 1873 it relocated its main factory to Grand Trunk Junction. Newberry and McMillan also started supplier companies including an iron works and the Detroit Wheel Company. Along with Charles L. Freer and

Frank J. Hecker Frank J. Hecker (July 6, 1846 - 1927) was an Americans, American businessman in the railroad-car manufacturing business. Hecker was from Detroit, Michigan. Early life Frank J. Hecker was born in Freedom, Michigan (in Washtenaw County, Michigan, W ...

's competing

Peninsular Car Company The Peninsular Car Company was a railroad rolling stock manufacturer, founded by Charles L. Freer and Frank J. Hecker in 1885. In 1892, the company merged with Michigan Car Company, the Russel Wheel and Foundry Company, the Detroit Car Wheel C ...

, Michigan Car was the largest manufacturer in "

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

" Detroit. By the 1890s, the Detroit railroad car manufacturers earned some $14.7 million in revenue from the manufacture of cars, car wheels, roofs, and repair work, while employing around 6,000 workers. Average production rates were around 76 cars per day. In 1892, Michigan Car and Peninsular Car merged to form the

Michigan-Peninsular Car Company The Michigan-Peninsular Car Company was a railroad rolling stock manufacturing company formed from the merger of five manufacturing companies in 1892. It was Detroit's largest manufacturer before the rise of the automotive industry. In 1899, it ...

, which was the largest manufacturer of railroad cars in the United States. In 1899, it merged with a dozen other smaller firms to form

American Car and Foundry ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

was employed at the Michigan Car company beginning in 1879.

Charles Brady King Charles Brady King (February 2, 1868 – June 22, 1957) was an American engineer and entrepreneur remembered as an automotive pioneer, artist, etcher, musician, poet, architect, mystic, industrialist and inventor.Powell, pp. 6-9May, George S., '' ...

was a representative from 1889 to 1892.May, p. 286

References

{{Reflist Defunct rolling stock manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 1864 1892 disestablishments in Michigan Manufacturing companies based in Detroit 1864 establishments in Michigan American companies disestablished in 1892

See also

References