The Waukesha Motor Company was an engine manufacturer based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Waukesha's engines were used in commercial trucks and fire apparatus from the turn of the century until the 1970s. Its engines were used by numerous fire apparatus manufacturers including Ahrens-Fox, Crown, FWD, Hahn, Howe, Maxim, Oshkosh, Pirsch, Seagrave, and Ward LaFrance.
The company was acquired by General Electric in 2011 and currently operates as Waukesha Gas Engines, a division of GE Power.
Company History[]
In 1906 Harry L. Horning and Frederick Ahrens were operating a motor car garage in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Operating the garage had allowed them to work on a wide range of engines. Determined to build an engine of their own, they found a group of investors and established the Waukesha Motor Company.
Allen Stebbins was their largest investor and he was selected to become the President and Sales Manager. Ahrens would become the Superintendent of Works and Vice President. Horning served as Engineer, Secretary and Treasurer. Stebbins left the company in 1908, Aherns in 1910. Harry Horning would serve as the President of the company from 1925, until his death in 1935.
Waukesha had a 4 cylinder engine available in 1907. The first sales were for marine engines, but sales for automobiles and trucks followed. In 1908 the company sold an engine to the Chicago Fire Department to begin the departments conversion from horses to motorized equipment. By 1912 the company had grown from a handful of workers to more than 100 employees. Demand for engines grew with the start of World War 1, and in 1916 Waukesha had 1000 workers.
At this point Waukesha was building a wide range of engines, and had developed good international sales. In 1922 the company claimed to have a range of engines in sizes from 6 to 1200 horsepower. This diversity of markets helped the company survive the post war recession and the depression that followed the 1929 stock market crash. During the 1930s Waukesha would begin to expand into other product lines developing refrigeration and cooling systems for use by the railroads.
World War 2 would again see the company busy manufacturing and its workforce had increased to more than 2000 employees when the war ended.
After the war the company continued to expand and find new markets. During the 1950s it would expand into stationary engine power generation. In 1957 Waukesha acquired the Climax Engineering Company, a manufacturer of small industrial motors and equipment. In 1958 the company acquired the LeRoi Company, another engine manufacturer. LeRoi engines would continue to be sold under the name RoiLine until 1974. In 1960 the company acquired O&M Manufacturing, a builder of radiators and heat exchangers. In 1963 Waukesha acquired the Cerlist Diesel Engine Company a maker of small diesel engines.
Waukesha was acquired by the Punta Bangor Corporation in 1968. Waukesha would continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of this company until 1974 when it was sold to Dresser Industries, becoming the Waukesha Engine Division. By the 1990s Waukesha had become a major supplier of stationary engines for power generation.
In 2011 General Electric purchased the company, which currently operates as Waukesha Gas Engines; a division of GE Power.
Fire Service Products[]
With the exception of early apparatus, most of the Waukesha engines preferred by the fire service were inline 6 cylinder engines.
Fire Fighter[]
This was a family of engines Introduced from 1939 to 1941. It was available in up to four displacements during its life and featured 2 spark plugs per cylinder to improve reliability. In the 1960s Waukesha changed how it designated engines. After 1965 only two displacements were available, the 140GZB became the F554G, while the 145GZB became the F817G. The F554G was discontinued in 1975, but the F817G would remain in production as a stationary engine until 1991.
140GKB 525 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV
140GZB / F554G 554 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV
145GKB 779 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV
145GZB / F817G 817 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV
Big Six
The 6-RBR was available from 1924 to 1943.
6-RBR 677 cubic inch, Inline 6, L-head
Super Transport Six[]
The 6-SRLR was available from 1929 through 1944, the larger 6-SRKR from 1930 through 1958.
6-SRLR 462 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head
6-SRKR 517 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head
Super Express Six[]
The 6-MKR was available from 1930 to 1947, the larger 6-MZR was available from 1930 to 1960.
6-MKR 381 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head
6-MZR 404 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head
Hy-Power[]
This was a family of engines available from 1932 through 1942. It used a different designation from other engines showing the number of cylinders and the nominal horsepower.
6-110 358 cubic inch, inline 6, F-head
6-125 462 cubic inch, inline 6, F-head
Marathon Six[]
These engines were available from 1933 until 1945.
6BK 282 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head
6BKZ 320 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head