Saturday, November 17, 2012

Sheffield Velocipede Car Co.


In the mid 1870s George S. Sheffield, a Michigan farmer, invented a three-wheeled railroad hand-car propelled by a combination of hand and foot power. He patented the device in 1879 and started production. The lightweight vehicle became a popular track inspection car, even more so when a model with a small gasoline engine was added. The company prospered and was soon building other railway equipment. By the early 1900s the line had expanded to include small 4 wheel trolley cars.
The Sheffield Velocipede Car Company was in operation from about 1879 till 1918 when Fairbanks Morse acquired the company.

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