Arthur Koppel Company

Figure 1

An illustration of the Koppel plant circa 1918 depicting the plant just after the company was confiscated by the United States government and sold to American interests who renamed the company the "Koppel Industrial Car and Equipment Company." The plant has special historical significance in that it was the first alien property seized by the United States by order of president Woodrow Wilson during World War I. 60cm narrow gauge track ran around and inside the plant buildings for transporting raw materials, forgings, and finished product.

Figure 2

An order of standard gauge cars for the Stewart Sugar Company is spotted for delivery on the connecting tracks of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie railroad. As roads and trucks appeared the company began building more standard gauge cars. The broken windows on the main erection hall and cluttered yard indicate the plant has seen better days.

Figure 3

A battery locomotive poses with a string of new dump cars in front of the track department. Arthur Koppel was an innovator and introduced electric and battery powered locomotives in the Unites States as early as 1898. Dump cars were a staple for the company and several more can be seen stored with their buckets in the upright position to the far left. The wood structure in the far background is the company's original administration building.

Figure 4

During World War I, the company formed a subsidiary to market new battery powered carts called Electromobiles. Here two Electromobiles are caught on the east end on the property outside the forge shop. In the background standard gauge wheel castings are neatly lined-up underneath the gantry crane. Between the Electromobiles can be seen a temporary siding attached to the permanent 60cm gauge track through the use of a track climber turnout.

Figure 5

Another Electromobile hauling parts inside the forge shop. It runs over the ubiquitous 60cm gauge track and turntable embedded in the floor. Note the unusual 4-hole wheel castings on the floor to the left. All the labor was American, but the products were German engineered.

Figure 6

An HO scale model of a typical train used at the plant circa 1914. This photograph shows the model on display in the contest room at the National Narrow Gauge Convention in St. Louis on 09/01/00.