A Short History of the Fitchburg Steam Engine Company.




~ On the transport side of the Company ~
An interesting and colorful history.

It goes without saying that every Successful business requires the input of
materials & supplies on a regular basis to survive and the same can be said
when the Product or Produce goes to market or final individual customer.

The Fitchburg Steam Engine Company saw many changes over the period
of their business due to the time in which they actually started in business.
Steel for the machining of engine parts as well as hardening, rolled steel
bar stock for connecting rods, steel plate for the boilermakers and pattern
uses, cast iron for the foundry for moulding of bases plus engine frames,
white metal for bushing's plus an ever increasing number of tooling had to
be purchased so as to make the every day running of the business feasible.

 

 

Below
A look at the old Union Depot in Depot Square which was built in 1877 and razed in October of 1961,
during the late 1800's and early 1900's almost 100 trains every day arrived and left from this station.
Directly opposite the Depot is Main street, running down Main street from the corner were a number of
shops ( not visible ) some of which included - Fitchburg Fruit Co. Wholesale-Retail, McPhail Pianos,
Fitchburg Bargain Store and Herald's Sea Grill. The City of Boston being a short 50 mile train trip away.

( A word of Credit goes to Eleanor Gilmartin for this very good image of the Fitchburg Depot above )

Luckily for the Company the Railroad had already reached Fitchburg back in
1845, and the town was booming - it was now possible to get to the Port of
Boston - directly due to a man named ALVAH CROCKER who was a native of
Fitchburg. In 1825 he started a Pulp and Paper Mill and needed the best in
transport to allow him to use rail and port services for sales to other states.
This allowed many businesses in Fitchburg to deal with all the Eastern states.
The completion of the Hoosac Tunnel through the Berkshire Mountain range
completed in 1875, ( tunnel length - 4.82 miles ) also made it possible to head
West and through to New York, which was also initiated by - ALVAH CROCKER.