St. Louis Car Company
| File:St. Louis Car Co. Builders.jpg St. Louis Car Co. Builders—vehicle badge | |
| Industry | Builder |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 1887 |
| Founder | William Lefmann, Peter Kling, Julius Lefmann, Henry Schroeder, Daniel McAllister, Henry Maune, Charles Ernst |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri , United States |
Area served | United States; Canada |
Key people | George J. Kobusch, Peter Kling, John H. Kobusch, Henry F. Vogel, John I. Beggs, Robert P. McCulloch, Edwin B. Meissner |
| Products | Railroad passenger cars, locomotives, streetcars, and trolleybuses; automobiles |
| Parent | General Steel Industries (1960–) |
| Subsidiaries | St. Louis Aircraft Corporation |
The St. Louis Car Company was a prominent American manufacturer specializing in railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurban vehicles, trolleybuses, and locomotives from its inception in 1887 until 1974. Its headquarters were located in St. Louis, Missouri.
History
Established in April 1887 by founders including William Lefmann and Peter Kling, the firm initially focused on producing streetcars and rolling stock for both street railways and steam railroads. The company later diversified into automobile manufacturing with models such as the American Mors and Standard Six. During World War I and II, its subsidiary—the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation—collaborated with Huttig Sash and Door beginning in 1917 to manufacture aircraft components like gliders, trainers, flying boats, alligators, and dirigible gondolas.
Among its notable products were the Birney Safety Car and the influential PCC streetcar design, both of which played a significant role in shaping urban transit systems across North America. The company supplied vehicles to major metropolitan transit authorities including those in New York City and Chicago and produced specialized railcars such as the FM OP800 for Southern Railway in 1939.
Under the guidance of President Edwin B. Meissner Sr., a distinguished business figure involved with various civic organizations, the company expanded its reach through innovation and product diversification. Following his passing in 1956, leadership transitioned to his son Edwin B. Meissner Jr.
In 1960, the St. Louis Car Company became a subsidiary of General Steel Industries, integrating into a larger industrial enterprise. During this era, it completed significant contracts such as manufacturing 430 R36 subway cars for New York City’s 1964 World's Fair and producing PA-1 cars for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system.
The company also fabricated passenger capsules for the Gateway Arch tramway in St. Louis during the mid-1960s, demonstrating its versatility in supporting local infrastructure projects.
Operations concluded in 1974 after delivering final units including R44 subway cars for both New York City Subway and Staten Island Rapid Transit systems and contributing to the USDOT’s State of the Art Car rapid transit demonstrator program.
The original manufacturing facility at 8000 Hall Street has since been transformed into the St. Louis Business Center, exemplifying adaptive reuse of industrial properties to foster continued commercial development.
Selected Products
- PCC streetcars produced between 1935 and 1952
- Peter Witt streetcar models
- Various trolley bus designs
- Interurban passenger cars
- Gas-electric railcars, commonly known as doodlebugs
- CRT/CTA Chicago 'L' elevated-subway PCC cars, specifically the 5003-5004 units from the 5000 series (1947), retired in 1985
- CTA's 6000-series PCC elevated-subway cars manufactured from 1950 to 1959, decommissioned in 1992
- CTA's 1-50 series PCC elevated-subway cars built during 1959–60, withdrawn from service in 1999
- The Electroliner interurban train of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad (1941)
- Car body shells for gas-electric railcars by Electro-Motive Company (EMD) during the 1920s
- Experimental center cab diesel switchers and FM OP800 railcars developed by Fairbanks-Morse in 1939
- "Bluebirds" for the GCRTA Red Line in Cleveland, produced between 1954–55 and 1958
- MBTA’s #3 East Boston Tunnel cars delivered in 1951
- The heavy rail transit demonstrator known as the State of the Art Car, designed for the USDOT (1972–74)
- Streamliner trains for the Illinois Terminal Railroad constructed from 1948 to 1950
- IRT World's Fair Steinway Motors built in 1938 for use at the 1939 World's Fair
- Highliner electric multiple unit cars for Metra Electric District introduced in 1971–72
- Arrow I electric MU cars converted to push-pull coaches for NJ Transit/NJDOT/Penn Central in 1968
- A range of New York City Subway car models including R8A, R17, R21, R22, R27, R29, R30, R33, R33S, R36, R38, R40, R40A, R42, and R44 produced between 1939 and 1973
- Gallery coaches #1-16 of the 7600 series built for Chicago and North Western Transportation Company in 1955
- "Hollywood" streetcars for Pacific Electric dating back to the 1920s
- Original wooden cars and freight motors supplied to Philadelphia and Western Railroad in 1907
- PATH rapid transit vehicles including "K-car"/MP51 (1958), PA1 (1965), and PA2 (1967) models
- San Diego Class 1 streetcars manufactured from 1910 to 1912
- Railcars numbered 2027-2028 produced for Seaboard Air Line in 1936
- SEPTA Silverliner III electric commuter railcars introduced in 1967
- Staten Island Railway’s R44 cars delivered in 1973, noted as the final batch of St. Louis-built vehicles
- Various U.S. Army coaches including ambulance, cafeteria, and sleeping cars
- Lightweight passenger, express, and baggage cars constructed for Union Pacific between 1960 and 1965
- Victorian Railways Petrol Electric railmotor created in 1928
See also
- Brownell Car Company
- Canada Car and Foundry
- Canadian Vickers
- F-Market & Wharves Streetcar Line
- John I. Beggs
- List of rolling stock manufacturers
- New York City Subway rolling stock
- Ottawa Car Company
References
- Middleton, William Jr. The Interurban Era. Kalmbach Publishing, Milwaukee, WI.
External links
- Builders of wooden railway cars: St. Louis Car Company – Early SLCC vehicle photographs at ironhorse129.com.
- St. Louis Car Company Records, 1887-1997 | WUA University Archives held at Washington University in St. Louis.
- St. Louis Car Company history available at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin.
- Cable Car Museum located in San Francisco, California.
- Market Street Railway organization based in San Francisco, California.