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91:, 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 1,400-foot (430 m) long Punch, Shear Fitting and Erection Shop. By 1910, a
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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
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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.
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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.
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75:). Prior to this invention, cars were unloaded by hand shoveling. An example of a Ralston-built
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which would allow the automatic unloading of coal and ballast cars (
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156:"Ralston Steel Car Co gives employment to 700 Columbus Workers."
107:, orders fell off precipitously. However, the build-up to
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Defunct rolling stock manufacturers of the United States
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Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1905
143:"Ralston Made First Railroad Gondolas to Order."
211:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1953
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51:. Later it manufactured its own line of all-
201:Defunct companies based in Columbus, Ohio
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125:List of rolling stock manufacturers
99:Depression, War Surge, and Decline
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177:(extensive history and photos)
87:With the increase in power of
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175:The Ralston Steel Car Company
216:1905 establishments in Ohio
196:Rail transportation in Ohio
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158:Columbus Evening Dispatch.
16:Rolling stock manufacturer
37:Ralston Steel Car Company
23:The company's forge shop
173:ColumbusRailroads.com.
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95:were being produced.
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93:wide variety of cars
79:can be seen here.
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145:Columbus Citizen.
89:steam locomotives
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160:August 18, 1940.
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105:Great Depression
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109:World War II
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77:drop gondola
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45:freight cars
39:operated in
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103:During the
73:hopper cars
69:gondola car
49:underframes
185:Categories
131:References
31:Train yard
83:Expansion
56:rail cars
119:See also
62:Founding
53:steel
35:The
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