Baldwin Locomotive Works ,Old Ironsides 1832 Poster

Matthias William Baldwin (1795-1866) was an American inventor and machinery manufacturer, specializing in the production of steam locomotives. Baldwin's small machine shop, established in 1825, grew to become Baldwin Locomotive Works, one of the largest and most successful locomotive manufacturing firms in the United States. The most famous of the early locomotives was "Old Ironsides", built by Matthias Baldwin in 1832. Baldwin built his first commissioned steam locomotive for the fledgling Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad. This engine, nicknamed Old Ironsides, traveled at the rate of only 1 mile per hour in initial trials made on November 23, 1832 but the machine was later refined and improved so that a peak speed of 28 mph was attained. This locomotive was a 2-2-0 type, meaning it had one unpowered leading axle and one powered driving axle. A price of $3,500 was paid to the budding Baldwin Locomotive Works.