The Vails of Speedwell - by Michael Ameigh
Stephen Vail was the archetypical 1990s-style entrepreneur;
intelligent, resourceful, creative, a risk taker with access to
capital. He was well-connected politically and market-oriented
in his manufacturing operations. Many of his projects were
"cutting edge" at the time. No project was too small or too
large. Speedwell introduced many innovations in the manufacture
of the steam engine, and Stephen Vail became a founding partner
of the famous Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia that once
also bore the Vail name. His Speedwell Works had manufactured
many parts for the first American-made locomotive, the
diminutive 'Tom Thumb,' built by Peter Cooper in 1829 (Dempsey,
1930). The firm had government contracts dating to the
Revolutionary War and built sophisticated manufacturing tools
and appliances including nail stamping machines and lathes. ...
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