J. G. Brill and Company

Infobox Company
name = J. G. Brill and Company

type = Private
genre =
foundation = 1868
founder = John George Brill
location_city = Philadelphia, PA
location_country = USA
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industry = rail transport
products = streetcars and buses
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J. G. Brill and Company manufactured streetcars and buses in the United States. The company was founded by John George Brill in 1868 as a horsecar manufacturing firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was taken over by the American Car and Foundry Company in 1926. Brill manufactured over 45,000 trolleys, buses and railroad cars. At its height, it was the largest manufacturer of streetcars and interurbans in the United States.

History

In 1944 the Brill Corporation and American Car and Foundry Motors Company were merged as ACF-Brill. ACF sold its interest in ACF-Brill on January 31, 1946, to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation for $7.5 million. Consolidated Vultee was sold on November 6 1947, to the Nashville Corporation, which sold its share to investment firm Allen & Co headed by Charles Allen Jr on June 11 1951. In early 1954, ACF-Brill ceased production and subcontracted remaining orders. The properties were sold, and on December 30 1955, the company was merged with supermarket companies into ACF-Wrigley Stores Inc.

ACF-Brill announced in 1944 that Canadian Car and Foundry of Montreal, Quebec were licensed to manufacture and sell throughout Canada buses and trolley coaches of their design as Canadian Car-Brill; the firm built about 1,100 trolley buses and a few thousand buses under the name.

Products

* Fageol/Brill Twin Coach 44S
* Birney safety car - by subsidiary, the American Car Company
* Brill "Bullet" car
* Brilliner streetcar
* C-36 city bus
* IC-41 intercity bus
* Peter Witt
** Large cars with trailers
** Small cars

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was a client of Brill's buses and streetcars:TTC Streetcar roster

Clients

* Toronto Transportation Commission
* Hamilton Street Railway
* Erie Railroad
* South Australian Railways

Companies

The American Car & Foundry Co. controlled, as of January 26, 1926:
*The Brill Corporation, which controlled: [Brill (2001), p 165.]
*# American Car & Foundry Motors Co: owned Hall-Scott Motor Car Co (owned 100%) and Fageol Motors (Ohio) (controlled 90%)
*# The J. G Brill Company (owned 100% of) American Car Co., Kuhlman Car Co., Wason Mfg Co. & Cie J. G Brill (Gallardon, France) which was sold to Electroforge in 1935

Other companies built license versions of Brill vehicles:

* Canadian Car and Foundry - Peter Witt cars

References

* The author of this book is a direct descendant of company founder John George Brill.

External links

* [http://www.indiana.edu/~iupress/books/0-253-33949-9.shtml History of J. G. Brill Company]
* [http://fjgrr.org/trolley/bullets/trolley3.html Brill Bullet]
* [http://www.nrhs.com/spot/brillliners/ Brilliner]
* [http://www.phillytrolley.org/redarrow.html Photos of Red Arrow Trolleys, including Brill cars]
* [http://www.ironhorse129.com/rollingstock/builders/brill.htm Iron Horse 1/29]