Steam locomotive production

North America

Early 20th century

Early 20th century locomotive production in the U.S. included units made for both domestic and export markets. Foreign market production increased significantly during and immediately after World War I. In the following table (from Wright, 1930), the years 1905–1911 include Canadian output and the years 1912–1929 include both Canadian output and equipment built in railroad shops.

Locomotives built in the U.S. 1896–1929
Year Domestic Foreign Total
1896 866 309 1175
1897 865 386 1251
1898 1321 554 1875
1899 1951 514 2465
1900 2648 505 3153
1901 - - 3384
1902 - - 4070
1903 - - 5152
1904 - - 3441
1905 4896 595 5491
1906 6232 720 6952
1907 6564 798 7362
1908 1886 456 2342
1909 2596 291 2887
1910 4441 314 4755
1911 3143 387 3530
1912 4403 512 4915
1913 4561 771 5332
1914 1962 273 2235
1915 1250 835 2085
1916 2708 1367 4075
1917 2585 2861 5446
1918 3668 2807 6475
1919 2162 1110 3272
1920 2022 1650 3672
1921 1185 638 1823
1922 1303 231 1534
1923 3505 280 3785
1924 1810 226 2036
1925 994 291 1285
1926 1585 185 1770
1927 1009 167 1176
1928 636 111 747
1929 1022 139 1161

Total production

The middle of the 20th century marked the end of large commercial production of steam locomotives in North America. Estimates of total production can be broken down into two time periods based on the period before and after the creation of American Locomotive Company in 1901. The following table provides a summary of this production and in some cases represents estimates rather than precisely known values (Bruce, 1952). A detailed list of manufacturers shows many of the larger producers. The Baldwin Locomotive Works was the largest producer of steam locomotives in the US, possibly the world, having produced around 70,000.

Summary of steam locomotives built in the U.S. 1831–1950
Class of builder Prior to 1901 1901–1950 Total
30 Builders of more than 100 units each 61520 99130 160650
63 Builders of less than 100 units each 1350 0 1350
70 Railroad company-shop builders 7130 5870 13000
Total Production 70000 105000 175000

See also

References
  • Bruce, Alfred W. (1952). The Steam Locomotive in America: Its Development in the Twentieth Century. New York: Bonanza Books. Table 3, partial excerpt.
  • Wright, Roy V., editor (1930). Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice, Ninth Edition. New York, N.Y.: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company. p. 108.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Table I, with corrections to Total column. This reference cites annual review issues of Railway Age as the primary source the table.
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