Ralston Steel Car Company
Encyclopedia
The Ralston Steel Car Company operated in Columbus, Ohio
, from 1905-1953. The company began by modifying wood freight cars to add steel underframes. Later it manufactured its own line of all-steel
rail cars
.
which would allow the automatic unloading of coal and ballast cars (hopper car
s). Prior to this invention, cars were unloaded by hand shoveling. An example of a Ralston-built drop gondola can be seen here.
s, the old wood freight cars could not take the strain, and demand for Ralston's all-steel cars exploded. By 1907 expansion of the Rarig facility began with the construction of a 1400 feet (426.7 m) long Punch, Shear Fitting and Erection Shop. By 1910, a wide variety of cars were being produced.
, orders fell off precipitously. However, the build-up to World War II
in the late 1930s revived the concern, and workers were called back to work. Employment reached 700 by the summer of 1940, and was producing 25 to 30 cars per day, and as many as 40 per day was possible..
After the war, however, demand for new freight cars plunged, since so many had been built during the war. Ralston was unable to ride out the slowdown and shut its doors in 1953.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, from 1905-1953. The company began by modifying wood freight cars to add steel underframes. Later it manufactured its own line of all-steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
rail cars
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
.
Founding
Joseph S. Ralston and Anton Becker founded the Ralston Steel Car Company in 1905 by purchasing the plant of the Rarig Engineering Company on the east side of Columbus. Becker had just patented a drop-bottom gondola carGondola (rail)
In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
which would allow the automatic unloading of coal and ballast cars (hopper car
Hopper car
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
s). Prior to this invention, cars were unloaded by hand shoveling. An example of a Ralston-built drop gondola can be seen here.
Expansion
With the increase in power of steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, the old wood freight cars could not take the strain, and demand for Ralston's all-steel cars exploded. By 1907 expansion of the Rarig facility began with the construction of a 1400 feet (426.7 m) long Punch, Shear Fitting and Erection Shop. By 1910, a wide variety of cars were being produced.
Depression, War Surge, and Decline
During the Great DepressionGreat 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...
, orders fell off precipitously. However, the build-up to 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...
in the late 1930s revived the concern, and workers were called back to work. Employment reached 700 by the summer of 1940, and was producing 25 to 30 cars per day, and as many as 40 per day was possible..
After the war, however, demand for new freight cars plunged, since so many had been built during the war. Ralston was unable to ride out the slowdown and shut its doors in 1953.
External links
- ColumbusRailroads.com. The Ralston Steel Car Company (extensive history and photos)