Editing Baldwin Locomotive Works (section)

== Founding and Early Years ==

Matthias W. Baldwin came to Philadelphia from New Jersey and established himself as a manufacturer of textile machinery, bookbinders' tools, and other precision equipment. In 1831, responding to the early railroads' need for locomotives, Baldwin built a small experimental engine called "Old Ironsides" for the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad. The locomotive proved successful enough that Baldwin received orders for additional engines, and he gradually shifted his business from general machinery to locomotive manufacturing. His early locomotives were small by later standards, but they established Baldwin's reputation for quality and reliability that would sustain the company for over a century.<ref name="westing">{{cite book |last=Westing |first=Fred |title=The Locomotives That Baldwin Built |year=1966 |publisher=Superior Publishing |location=Seattle}}</ref>

Baldwin himself was an unusual figure among industrial magnates. A devout Christian with strong social convictions, he opposed slavery and refused to produce equipment for Southern railroads that used enslaved workers. He provided housing and educational opportunities for his workers, which was exceptional for the era. After his death in 1866, the company continued under the leadership of partners and later professional managers who maintained its commitment to quality while dramatically expanding its scale. The company that Matthias Baldwin founded as a one-man workshop became one of the largest industrial enterprises in America.<ref name="brown"/>