Geo D. Whitcomb Company
Early in life, George Dexter Whitcomb moved with his family from Brandon, VT, to Kent, OH.
He purchased the rights to the Harrison Mining Machine, a compressed air power pick that could be used by one person.
In April 1906, he developed the company's first successful gasoline locomotive that was built for a large Central Illinois coal mine.
[citation needed] In 1907, George resigned leaving William the president and majority stock owner.
In 1907, the company moved to Rochelle, where they continued to build knitting machinery and gasoline powered locomotives for coal and metal mines.
These small 6-ton and 9-ton, narrow gauge locomotives proved highly efficient in trench warfare and they were used extensively in hauling needed supplies up to the front lines.
[citation needed] The Whitcomb Company received the "Certificate of Merit" from the United States War Department.
After exhaustive tests the United States Bureau of Mines issued Whitcomb a "Permissibility Plate."
This development was closely followed by the diesel-electrics, which revolutionized and forever changed the American rail transportation system.
He hired Carl Heim from Chicago, to take over many of the company's operations management, including in the positions of Vice President and Treasurer.
[5] A restored Partin-Palmer automobile is displayed at the Flagg Township Museum in Rochelle, Illinois.
Although William Whitcomb voted against the action, the bankruptcy was filed in Federal Court in the Northern District of Illinois.
[7] In April, Baldwin created a new corporation and called it the "Whitcomb Locomotive Company," in the state of Delaware.
[10] In February 1934, William Whitcomb filed suit against Baldwin Locomotive Works in Chicago Circuit Court, to recover the lost value of his company stock.
[11] During World War II the Whitcomb Locomotive Company built road switchers for military service in Europe and the Middle East.
[16] They were built in 1943 and 1944 and served in many theaters of operations including Great Britain, France, Italy and Belgium.
[20] However, the Dutch soon found theirs unsatisfactory and replaced both the diesel engines and the electric traction motors in the early 1950s.
A ten-ton overhead yard crane was installed to facilitate handling and storage of steel slabs and sheets.
In February 1952 locomotive production was moved from Rochelle in Illinois to Baldwin’s factory in Eddystone, Pennsylvania.
