A distinctive feature is its cab roof which overhangs the rear platform much as cab roofs do on steam locomotives. “H” stood for “hood” “10″ denoted 1000 horsepower the “4s” denoted four axles and four traction motors, respectively. The first example, which was purchased by Milwaukee Road, is now in the collection at Illinois Railway Museum. In 1944, Fairbanks-Morse began building a diesel-electric switching locomotive called the H-10-44. Descendants of those engines are still used in naval vessels today. The first ones were small power plants used for irrigation or oil well drilling. FM’s diesel engines were manufactured in Beloi, Wisconsin. As the firm continued to grow, its product lines diversified to include typewriters, windmills, pumps, and internal-combustion engines. By late nineteenth century, the corporate name had been changed to Fairbanks, Morse and Company. Morse eventually became a partner in the business. The last one was issued shortly before he died at the age of 91.Ĭharles Hosmer Morse was Fairbanks’ agent in the Chicago area. Thaddeus Fairbanks was awarded 43 patents during his lifetime. Not only did Fairbanks become one of the leading USA manufacturers of the nineteenth century, but it remained the best-known brand name in the world until Ford overtook it in the 1920s. The rapidly-growing family business was incorporated as “Fairbanks Scale Company” in 1874. The company had grown to over 1,000 employees it was exporting scales to China, India, Russia, South America and the Caribbean and European sales were so strong that the firm had established an assembly facility in Budapest. Railroads weigh every loaded car in a freight train, then subtract the LT WT, to determine the amount of tonnage they haul and to calculate their charge for transporting it.īy 1860, Fairbanks’ scales were the best-known American product in the world. Look at the dimensional data printed on virtually any freight car, and you will see a figure labeled “LT WT” indicating how much the car weighs when empty. It was constructed with suitable levers and bearings to permit weighing a great range of loads accurately. The platform was fitted with rails so that cars could be rolled on and off. The scale he designed weighed railway cars either alone or in train. Therefore, every load gets weighed before it is transported. Railroads earn money for hauling freight, and they charge by the ton. On June 13 1857, Thaddeus Fairbanks received United States patent #16,381, the first U.S. If you have ever bought a load of gravel, coal or animal feed in your pickup truck, you have probably driven your vehicle onto a scale that was originally designed by Thaddeus Fairbanks. Their products ranged from the small counter-top scales seen in hardware stores, to the familiar floor model that we step on at the doctor’s office, to a very large version capable of weighing a vehicle. Fairbanks Company” was formed in 1834 and began selling platform scales, not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and even China. Then, while awaiting their appointment, he had a further brainstorm, which he later recalled in the passage quoted above. When family members suggested that he market the scales to others, Thaddeus secured the services of an agent. Fairbanks’ solution of a platform balance allowed a wagon could be driven onto the platform and weighed together with its cargo.
This made it difficult to weigh very large or very heavy items.
Prior to this time, objects had always been weighed by hanging them from a balance beam. This eliminated the need to hoist the entire load. He dug a pit for the levers, placing the platform level with the ground. He arranged a system of levers that significantly reduced the weight needed to counter-balance a load. Since no scale was available that could accurately weigh large loads of hemp, Thaddeus proceeded to design one. There, in partnership with his brother Erastus, he manufactured stoves and farm implements.Īround 1830, the Fairbanks brothers became interested in the production of hemp. Five years later he built an iron foundry. At age 19 he opened a wheelwright shop above his father’s mill in St. Thaddeus Fairbanks was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts on 17 January in 1796. I told the agent that he must wait a few days until I could make plans and patterns in accordance with my new discovery, and said to my wife that I had just discovered a principle that would be worth more than a thousand dollars.” “While sitting up watching for the time to call him, the principle upon which we now build our scales suddenly came into my mind.
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