ACF plant in Berwick

digger · **Joined:** Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:19 pm **Posts:** 18

I'm looking for pictures of small locomotives that worked in this plant in the 40's, Also colors and lettering style info, Thanks

HudsonL · **Joined:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:22 am **Posts:** 548

Where is Berwick?

I have access to some large collections of Hill Lines builders photos, and there are sometimes shop scenes in the files, and I do know there are ACF photos in the collection, but not knowing where "Berwick" is I can't even do a quick scan of the index.

-Hudson
(Grumpy / Lazy Railroad Historical Archivist)

cdressel · **Joined:** Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:10 am **Posts:** 7

I believe the poster meant Berwick, PA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_and_Woodin_Manufacturing_Company
Chuck

cdressel · **Joined:** Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:10 am **Posts:** 7

No locomotives but these are pretty interesting in any case . . .

Chuck

PS: Pics from http://home.epix.net/~captclint/local_scenes14.html

digger · **Joined:** Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:19 pm **Posts:** 18

Berwick, Pennsylvania. I have a 4 ton, 2 foot gauge Vulcan locomotive, gas powered. that originally was used there, I'm trying to find pictures and information from it's working days late 30's early 40's Thanks

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

Have you called the RR Museum of PA? They have the Vulcan collection, which in my research there has resulted in more than just builders photos, though that does seem to be the bulk of it. Give them a call and ask for Nick Zmijewski?

Rob

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

All the photos I've ever seen of the ACF plant at Berwick from the late 1930's on showed a variety small GE locos, mostly center-cab side rod 45-tonners. Based on what I know of other ACF operations, they were dark green with black trucks and frames. The Berwick plant was noted for building the first all-steel transit cars, for New York City, and during World War II, for building hundreds and hundreds of Stuart light tanks. After ACF shut down Berwick in 1961 or 1962, a locally-operated company, Berwick Forge & Fabricating, built freight cars until the late 1980's. Their roster included a 45-tonner, a 25-ton GE and an ex-PRR 44-tonner. I've kind of lost track, but some or all may still be there, locked away in one of the cavernous buildings.

digger · **Joined:** Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:19 pm **Posts:** 18

Thanks for the lead, I will contact Nick.
Also, the locomotive was susposed to have been in the "gun works" and had no couplers..just steel plates front& rear

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:08 am

digger wrote:

Also, the locomotive was supposed to have been in the "gun works" and had no couplers..just steel plates front& rear

Do a quick Internet search on Berwick Car & Foundry/ACF/etc., and you'll find that, as with a great many other such facilities, much of the Berwick plant made tanks and other munitions for World War Two. If your "lokie" did indeed come from the BCF "gun works," it was probably part of that tank line.

I would strongly suspect that the odds of finding "railfan-style" photos of a tank production line during World War Two (as opposed to propaganda photos taken from a "safe" distance" are slim to none, but wackier things have happened.