 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Genre | Public transport |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder | John George Brill |
| Defunct | 1954 (acquired by GE Transportation) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Products | Streetcars (trams), interurban railcars, motor buses, and trolleybuses |
39°55′38″N 75°13′45″W / 39.9273472°N 75.2291959°W
The J. G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,[1] interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for nearly 90 years, hence the longest-lasting trolley and interurban manufacturer. At its height, Brill was the largest manufacturer of streetcars and interurban cars in the US and produced more streetcars, interurbans and gas-electric cars than any other manufacturer, building more than 45,000 streetcars alone.
The company was founded by John George Brill in 1868 in Philadelphia, as a horsecar manufacturing firm. Its large factory complex was located in southwest Philadelphia at 62nd St and Woodland Avenue, adjacent to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks. At its peak of operation, it was one of Philadelphias's largest employers.[2] Over the years, it absorbed numerous other manufacturers of trolleys and interurbans, such as Kuhlman in Cleveland and Jewett in Indiana. In 1944, with rail car business diminishing, it merged with the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) to become ACF-Brill. Although the company ceased production in 1954, some of its interurbans served the Philadelphia area until the 1980s and similarly in Australia.
- ^ Young, Andrew D. (1997). Veteran & Vintage Transit, p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. ISBN 0-9647279-2-7
- ^ The Historical Society of Pennsylvania