Excerpt from Finescale Railroader June 2004, by Russ Reinberg
"DAVENPORT LOCOMOTIVE WORKS, in
Davenport, Iowa, built locomotives between
1902 and 1956. In 1950, after nearly half a
century of producing its own line of steam locomotives,
Davenport acquired H. K. Porter Company and added that
manufacturer’s designs to its catalog.
Davenport’s first gas mechanical locomotive appeared
in 1924 and its first diesel in 1927. In the early 1930s, the
company was a pioneer manufacturer of small diesel-
electric locomotives. Its line ranged from 4 ton gas
mechanicals to 112 ton diesels and ultimately proved quite
successful. Industries of all kinds purchased the engines.
Commercial railroads also bought Davenport loco-
motives. Its 44 tonners were the most popular because that
was the heaviest locomotive union rules allowed one man
to operate. The major railroads owning Davenport diesels
included the Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, Santa Fe,
Frisco, and Missouri Pacific. Davenport also built a number
of locomotives for the United States Army during and after
World War Two. In 1963, a narrow gauge Davenport
diesel-mechanical from the Sumpter Valley Railroad
became the Rio Grande’s well known 0-4-0 Durango
switcher Number 50."
Check out the PDF file for a great article by Allen K. Littlefield called "Modify The Davenport".
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