Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works facts for kids
Aerial view of the Cooke Locomotive & Machine Company in Paterson New Jersey.
|
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| Industry | rail transport |
|---|---|
| Fate | merged |
| Successor | ALCO |
| Founded | as Danforth, Cooke, and Company in 1852 |
| Founders | John Cooke, Charles Danforth, John Edwards, and Edwin T. Prall |
| Defunct | 1901 |
| Headquarters |
,
United States
|
| Products | steam locomotives and rolling stock, cotton machinery |
The Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works was a company in Paterson, New Jersey. They built amazing steam trains, also known as locomotives. They started in 1852. In 1901, they joined with seven other companies. Together, they formed a bigger company called the American Locomotive Company (ALCO).
History of Cooke Locomotives
The company began in 1852. It was first called Danforth, Cooke, and Company. The main founders were John Cooke and Charles Danforth. They built steam locomotives and machines for making cotton.
In 1865, the company changed its name. It became the Danforth Locomotive and Machine Company. Charles Danforth was the president until 1871. John Cooke then took over as president. After John Cooke passed away in 1882, his sons took charge. They renamed the company the Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works. They kept building trains until 1901.
In 1901, Cooke joined with other train builders. This created the huge American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The Cooke factory became known as the Alco-Cooke Works. They continued making trains there until 1926. Cooke built about 2,600 locomotives between 1852 and 1901. Some famous ones include the C. P. Huntington and the "Texas" train.
Cooke Trains Around the World
Cooke didn't just build trains for American railroads. They also sent many locomotives to other countries. Their trains went to Central and South America. They even sent trains to places like South Wales. For example, they built trains for the Port Talbot Railway in 1899.
Cooke also made trains used during World War I. These trains helped move supplies in France. You can still see some of these old trains today. They are on display at places like the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway.
Cooke Trains You Can Still See Today
Many trains built by Cooke are still around! They are kept safe in museums or on special railways. This list shows some of the Cooke locomotives that were built before the ALCO merger in 1901. They are listed by their serial number.
| Serial number | Wheel arrangement (Whyte notation) |
Build date | Name | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unknown | 4-4-0 | October 1856 | Western and Atlantic Railroad 49 Texas | Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, Georgia |
| 277 | 4-2-4T | October 1863 | Central Pacific Railroad #3 C. P. Huntington, Southern Pacific Railroad 1 | California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California |
| 1555 | 2-6-0 | February 1884 | Colorado and Southern Railway 9 | Georgetown Loop Railroad, Silver Plume, Colorado |
| 1861 | 4-4-0 | February 1888 | Dardanelle and Russelville 8 | Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City, Nevada |
| 2053 | 4-6-0 | October, 1890 | Union Pacific Railroad 1242 | Lion's Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming |
| 2054 | 4-6-0 | October, 1890 | Union Pacific Railroad 1243 | Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2197 | 4-6-0 | April 1892 | Texas and New Orleans Railroad 314 | Center for Transportation and Commerce, Galveston, Texas |
| 2202 | 4-6-0 | April 1892 | Texas and New Orleans Railroad 319 | Riverdale, Georgia |
| 2341 | 4-6-0 | July 1896 | Southern Pacific Railroad 2248 | Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine, Texas |
| 2360 | 4-6-0 | March 1897 | Southern Pacific Railroad 2252 | Overlooking the Union Pacific classification yard, Roseville, California |
| 2408 | 4-6-0 | October 1898 | Missouri Pacific Railroad 2522 | Paris City Park, Paris, Arkansas |
The White Pass and Yukon Route railroad also has a special snowplow. It was built by Cooke in 1899. This steam-powered snowplow is on display in Skagway, Alaska. You can learn more about it by looking up Rotary snowplow.
Here are some trains built at the Cooke factory after it became part of ALCO.
| Serial number | Wheel arrangement (Whyte notation) |
Build date | Name | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28686 | 2-8-0 | September 1903 | Illinois Central 790 | Steamtown National Historic Site, Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| 55847 | 2-6-0 | May 1916 | Waynesburg & Washington 4 | Greene County Historical Museum, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania |
| 57978 | 2-10-2 | January 1918 | Southern Pacific 975 | Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois |
| 62624 | 2-8-0 | November 1920 | Arcade and Attica 18 | Arcade and Attica Railroad, Attica, New York |
