Mather Stock Car Company
Encyclopedia
The Mather Stock Car Company was a U.S.
corporation that built railroad rolling stock
. Mather specialized in stock car
s, but built other types of cars as well, including boxcar
s. The company was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their main headquarters building, Mather Tower
, built in 1928 in Chicago, still stands today. This building has the smallest floors of any of Chicago's skyscraper
s.
; the company's first stock car was built in 1880. As the 20th century dawned, Mather began leasing stock cars to the railroads that used them. Railroads of the time found it less expensive to lease stock cars than to purchase them outright or to build them. By the 1920s, Mather had expanded their fleet to include boxcar
s and refrigerator car
s along with a few tank car
s.
With the onset of the Great Depression
in the US, Mather was one of a limited number of companies that saw profits in the 1930s. As railroads eliminated freight cars out of their own fleets, leasing companies such as Mather were able to step in and supply freight cars as needed.
During World War II
, Mather was one of the manufacturing companies producing the "war emergency" plan freight cars. These car types were based on designs from the 1920s and earlier; they featured a lightweight truss body built of narrow steel angle stock to support the roof with wood panels bolted to the truss beams forming the walls of the cars.
In the late 1950s Mather was merged into the North American Car Corporation of Chicago.
#3024, is owned by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Association (operators of the San Diego Railroad Museum), while the remaining seven are owned by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
in North Freedom, Wisconsin
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
corporation that built railroad rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
. Mather specialized in stock car
Stock car (rail)
In railroad terminology, a stock car or cattle wagon is a type of rolling stock used for carrying livestock to market...
s, but built other types of cars as well, including boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s. The company was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their main headquarters building, Mather Tower
Mather Tower
Mather Tower is a Neo-Gothic, terra cotta-clad high-rise structure in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, built in 1928 in Chicago, still stands today. This building has the smallest floors of any of Chicago's skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s.
History
Mather was founded by Alonzo C. MatherAlonzo C. Mather
Alonzo Clark Mather was founder and president of the Mather Stock Car Company, a U.S. firm that built and leased railroad freight cars, especially stock cars.-Birth and education:...
; the company's first stock car was built in 1880. As the 20th century dawned, Mather began leasing stock cars to the railroads that used them. Railroads of the time found it less expensive to lease stock cars than to purchase them outright or to build them. By the 1920s, Mather had expanded their fleet to include boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s and refrigerator car
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car is a refrigerated boxcar , a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
s along with a few tank car
Tank car
A tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
s.
With the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the US, Mather was one of a limited number of companies that saw profits in the 1930s. As railroads eliminated freight cars out of their own fleets, leasing companies such as Mather were able to step in and supply freight cars as needed.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mather was one of the manufacturing companies producing the "war emergency" plan freight cars. These car types were based on designs from the 1920s and earlier; they featured a lightweight truss body built of narrow steel angle stock to support the roof with wood panels bolted to the truss beams forming the walls of the cars.
In the late 1950s Mather was merged into the North American Car Corporation of Chicago.
Preservation
Several examples of Mather's stock cars exist in museums, but only eight of the hundreds of box cars that Mather built survive to this day. One, ACYAkron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a railroad that existed between 1907 and 1982, running from Mogadore west to Delphos, Ohio, United States. It began as the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railway, a short line connecting Mogadore to Akron...
#3024, is owned by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, located at the corner of State Route 94 and Forrest Gate Road near Campo, California, is a railroad museum dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroads as they existed in the Pacific Southwest....
Association (operators of the San Diego Railroad Museum), while the remaining seven are owned by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.-Collection:Three steam locomotives are currently under restoration to federal guidelines. The museum has 14 steam and 6 diesel locomotives including Chicago & North Western # 1385 and over 100 other pieces of...
in North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Baraboo River. The population was 649 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Freedom is located at ....
.