American Car and Foundry Company World War II era photographs
Creation: 1943-1944Abstract
American Car and Foundry Company is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock and railcar parts, founded in 1899. In 1901, the company began leasing the facilities of a railroad rolling stock and shipbuilding manufacturer the Jackson and Sharp Company. From the end of World War One to 1938, the plant built small pleasure boats. These photographs document different activities at the American Car and Foundry Company Jackson and Sharp Plant shipyard in Wilmington, Delaware, during World War II. There are several photos taken on the occasion of the presentation of the Army-Navy "E" award in 1942.
Dates
- Creation: 1943-1944
Creator
- American Car and Foundry Company (Organization)
Extent
16 item(s)
General Physical Description
15 photographic prints : b&w ; 8 x 10 in. or smaller. 1 item (medal).
Historical Note
American Car and Foundry Company is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock and railcar parts, founded in 1899 as the result of a merger among thirteen railroad carbuilding companies, including St. Charles Car Manufacturing Company. In the company's early years, American Car and Foundry Company constructed its railcars from wood. Additionally, the company engaged in architectural millwork for buildings. The patterned woodwork components would be fabricated by milling at the plant and then installed.
In 1901, American Car and Foundry Company began leasing the facilities of railroad rolling stock and shipbuilding manufacturer the Jackson and Sharp Company. The plant was located on the Brandywine River in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1911, American Car and Foundry Company purchased the plant. While the main products were railroad rolling stock, they continued to produced watercraft out of both wood and steel.
By 1904 the first all-steel passenger car ever ordered from a car builder left American Car and Foundry Company former Berwick, Pennsylvania shop. It was the first of a shipment of 300 similar cars built for New York City's pioneer subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. By 1906, American Car and Foundry Company opened steel shops at St. Louis, Detroit, Berwick, Huntington, and Madison, Illinois. American Car and Foundry Company's reputation rapidly spread abroad and in 1905 more than 100 motor and trailer subway cars were shipped to England for use in London's underground system.
From the end of World War I to 1938, the American Car and Foundry Company's Jackson and Sharp plant built small pleasure boats. During World War II, its production was devoted to building landing barges, LCM tank lighters, aluminum pontons, plywood smoke barges for the American forces and YMS minesweepers for the British Navy. In the 1930s the plant ceased manufacturing railcars and wooden shipbuilding ended in 1938. American Car and Foundry Company's Jackson and Sharp plant continued to build steel ships until 1950 and sold the plant in 1952.
In 1955, the company changed its name to ACF Industries, Incorporated. In 1962, the Berwick plant closed. The company name changed again in 2003 to ACF Industries, LLC. It still is a leading American manufacturer of railcars and railcar parts. Its manufacturing plant is in Milton, Pennsylvania.
Scope and Content
These photographs document different activities at the American Car and Foundry Company shipyard in Wilmington, Delaware, during World War II. There are several photographs taken on the occasion of the presentation of the Army-Navy "E" award in 1942. Images show ship launchings, shipbuilding, BYMS British motor minesweepers, an undated bird's eye view of the A.C.F. plant, and caricatures of A.C.F. draftsman, Robert C. Martin. There are magazine clippings of three A.C.F. advertisements showing landing craft (one was published in The Marine News, April 1943) and a few other clippings. The collection includes a small medal with the words, "War Service Ship Building," and the image of a ship.
Location
GL Box 1.
Existence and Location of Copies
View this collection online in the Hagley Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Related Names
Subject
- American Car and Foundry Company. Jackson & Sharp Plant (Organization)
- USS Swivel ARS 36 (Ship) (Organization)
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- American Car and Foundry Company World War II era photographs
- Date:
- 2014
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository