Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company

Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Railroad equipment, Materials handling
Predecessor	Kalamazoo Railroad Velocipede and Car Company, Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company
Founded	1883 (1883)
Founder	George Miller, Horace Haines
Defunct	1990s
Fate	Assets acquired by Taylor-Dunn; railroad division sold to Tamper Inc.
Headquarters	Kalamazoo , United States
Area served	International (notably South America, Australia, United States)
Key people	Hawk family (majority shareholders since 1953, full ownership in 1966)
Products	Railroad speeders, handcars, motor cars, Speed Trucks, platform trucks, dump trucks, runabouts, Escorter passenger vehicles

The Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, began as a producer of railroad equipment and later expanded into materials handling. Established in 1883, the company ceased operations in the 1990s. Among its notable achievements was the production of four passenger vehicles for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

Establishment and Expansion

The firm was originally founded in 1883 by George Miller and Horace Haines under the name Kalamazoo Railroad Velocipede and Car Company, with initial capital of $45,000. Its manufacturing facility was situated adjacent to the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (GR&I). By 1901, after rebranding as Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company, the business produced handcars, railroad speeders (motorized inspection vehicles), velocipedes, jacks, tanks, and various other railroad-related products. Subsequently, it relocated to a larger plant on Reed Street, still neighboring the GR&I line.

In the early 1940s, Kalamazoo broadened its scope by entering the materials handling sector with its "Speed Truck" series—early personnel and material transport vehicles designed for industrial environments. Many Speed Trucks incorporated the Wisconsin 16 hp air-cooled engine commonly used in their railroad speeders. This product range grew to include platform trucks, dump trucks, and runabout models. Reflecting this diversification, the company adopted the name Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company in the early 1950s.

Product Offerings

A catalog from 1960 detailed two lightweight utility railroad motor cars intended for patrol and inspection duties: the 56W model equipped with a 16.4 hp air-cooled Wisconsin two-cylinder engine paired with a synchromesh transmission; and the lighter 57W featuring a 9.2 hp single-cylinder engine. Both models were outfitted with Timken bearings, insulated wheels, cast iron brakes, and offered optional cabs and accessories. Magneto ignition systems remained standard equipment.

Internationally, Kalamazoo’s railroad motor cars achieved strong sales, particularly in South America and Australia, where "Kalamazoo" became a generic term for such vehicles. Within the United States, however, their market share was modest due to limited railroad adoption. During World War II, the company produced a specialized motor car nicknamed "Galloping Gertie," which was equipped with a large target used for gunnery training.

Larger capacity models included the 27A and 27AW-F (both accommodating up to ten passengers) as well as the 38B-F (with seating for fourteen). The 27A was powered by a 22 hp air-cooled four-cylinder Wisconsin engine; meanwhile, the other models utilized water-cooled Ford engines rated at 40 hp. Additional rail-related products manufactured by Kalamazoo encompassed power tamping jacks, ballast equalizers fitted with plow and sweeper attachments, spike drivers, trailers, push carts, track gauges, and portable assembly rails.

Divestiture of Railroad Division

In 1968, Tamper Inc., located in Columbia, South Carolina, purchased Kalamazoo’s railroad division. Following this acquisition, all railroad equipment manufacturing was transferred to South Carolina under the Tamper brand name. Tamper subsequently merged with Fairmont during the 1990s; Fairmont was later acquired by Harsco Corporation.

Despite selling off its railroad segment, Kalamazoo continued producing Speed Truck models such as the K45 platform truck capable of carrying a payload of , along with models 2500 and E1900 Low Bed Electric trucks each designed to transport . The Kal-Truk—a three-wheeled carrier primarily utilized as a dump truck—offered a capacity of . The company also manufactured a compact electric personnel carrier known as the "Economizer."

For the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, Kalamazoo built 150 custom "Escorter" passenger vehicles. In 1966, full ownership of the company was consolidated under the Hawk family, who had been majority shareholders since 1953.

Final years

Kalamazoo Manufacturing continued producing personnel carriers and material transport vehicles through its 100th anniversary in 1983, despite facing union labor strikes. The company remained operational into the 1990s, at which point its assets were acquired by Taylor-Dunn, a prominent producer of in-plant materials handling equipment. The closure of the Kalamazoo plant occurred quietly, receiving little to no attention from local news outlets.

Following the shutdown, the Reed Street location served as a storage site for LC Howard until 2015, when the building was demolished. Today, no physical structures associated with Kalamazoo Manufacturing exist in the area; nevertheless, several refurbished railroad motor cars and Speed Trucks continue to be preserved worldwide for private collectors.

External links

• Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company History website
• Historic Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company Photos