Sylvester Steel Products Ltd

Gaslighting was introduced to the streets of London (England) in 1909 and had made its way to Toronto, Ontario, Canada by 1841. Shortly afterwards, Richard Sylvester started Sylvester Manufacturing Company in Lindsey, Ontario to make fittings for gas lighting, providing services to Railway Stations, Hotels & wealthy businessman & their families.

In 1886 the business changed its name to Sylvester Brothers Manufacturing Company when Robert joined his brothers business. The new business diversified into the growing hot bulb oil engine industry, developing gas oil engines to drive farm & household machinery.

By 1902 they had developed a range of gas oil & gasoline engines for generating electricity for lighting, replacing their original gas lighting product ranges. Their range included horizontal & vertical engines from one to eighty horsepower and was made available for pleasure boats & shops as well as farm work. They also made 2-stroke engines for railway inspection & maintenance cars. Later products included a Tractor & Auto Thresher.

Then in 1902 they incorporated the business to become Sylvester Manufacturing Company and started to make their range of railway hand pump & velocipede inspection trolleys. In addition, they became Canadian dealers for the American made Kalamazoo range of railway inspection trolleys & trailers. Soon they were making conversion kits, turning their own manufactured pump trolleys into a motorised, self-propelled inspection vehicle.

The company started making its own range of motorised, self-propelled railway inspection & maintenance trolley & trailers in 1916 for the Canadian & North American railway companies.

In 1956 the business was purchased by K.G. MacDuffie and changed its name to Sylvester Steel Products Ltd. The product range included motorised railway inspection cars with single-cylinder water-cooled engines, built until 1973 when a new 4-stroke air-cooled engine was introduced.

The main products were:

• 21 section car with '120' engine (steel frame)
• 21E section car with 'KP' engine (aluminium frame)
• K54 inspection car with 'KP' engine (aluminium frame) [illustrated]

These vehicles were sold, in their thousands, all over Canada, USA & to many European railways.

Rail vehicle manufacture was discontinued in 1978 and soon after the company went out of business.