The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. It was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomotive manufacturers and Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory. ALCO also designed and manufactured automobiles under the Alco brand from 1905 to 1913 and produced nuclear reactors from 1954 to 1962. The company changed its name to Alco Products, Incorporated in 1955, and in 1964, it was acquired by the Worthington Corporation. The company went out of business in 1969, but the ALCO name is currently used by Fairbanks Morse Engine for their FM|ALCO line.
History
The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) was formed in 1901 through the merger of seven smaller locomotive manufacturers with Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory, with headquarters in Schenectady, New York. Samuel R. Callaway, former president of the New York Central Railroad, became president of ALCO. The company acquired the Locomotive and Machine Company of Montreal, Quebec in 1904, and Rogers Locomotive Works of Paterson, New Jersey in 1905. After World War II, ALCO closed all its manufacturing plants except those in Schenectady and Montreal. The company ceased locomotive manufacturing in the US in 1969, though Montreal Locomotive Works continued to make locomotives based on ALCO designs.
