Lima (Ly-ma) was founded in 1831 after Ohio legislation directed that a county seat be established for Allen county and later incorperated in 1842. The local nickname is "The Bean" or "Bean Town" after the Lima Bean. Probably best known for its once booming Manufacturing Industry in the late 30's, 40's, and 50's where the production of General Sherman tanks, power shovels and cranes, electric motors and electric equipment for aircraft, marine Deisel engines and steel castings were all manufactured. The present population of the city is half of its once highest total due economic downturn, factory closings, or mergers that forced breaking up processes and moved out of state. Lima is still home to some large industry such as an Oil refinery, automaker engine plant, tank plant manufacturer of the M1 Abrams tank just to name a few.
Lima became famous for the increased crime rate of the 1930s. In 1933, gangster John Dillinger was in the Allen County Jail, arrested for robbing the Citizens National Bank in nearby Bluffton. Dillinger's cohorts broke him out of jail, killing Allen County Sheriff Jess Sarber in the process. The murder and jailbreak put Dillinger at the top of the FBI's ten most wanted list. His was not the only crime outfit to plague Lima during the decade. In 1936, the notorious Brady Gang robbed a local jewelry store twice.
While Lima has many other facinating pieces of history and claims to fame, I wanted to draw attention to a large piece of Lima's past history shaping the early train industry at the past location of "The Lima Locomotive Works" nearby where I have brought you. Here many steam locomotives were assembled from the 1870s through the 1950s. Unfortunately the past railroad buildings and iconic rail structures supporting the manufacturing of the locomotives have been leveled after sitting abandoned for years leaving large vacant lots of land.
- 1877: Lima Machine Works is established to produce agricultural and sawmill equipment.
- 1878: Lima Machine Works builds the first Shay type locomotive.
- 1892: Lima Machine Works reorganizes and emerges as Lima Locomotive & Machine Company.
- 1911: Lima begins manufacturing locomotives for Class I railroads.
- 1912: Another reorganization and Lima emerges as Lima Locomotive Corporation.
- 1916: Joel Coffin and Samuel G. Allen purchase Lima; the company is renamed Lima Locomotive Works.
- 1922: Woodard's 2-8-2 NYC 8000, ancestor of "Super Power", is delivered.
- 1925: Woodard's A-1, the prototype "Super Power" Berkshire type, takes to the rails.
- 1942: Lima Locomotive Works was first company that started manufacturing M4A1 Sherman in February 1942 for British use.
- 1944: Lima was sued for over 3 million dollars by the C&O. This lawsuit would kickstart Lima’s decline.
- 1947: Lima is merged with General Machinery Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio. The new company is named Lima-Hamilton Corporation on July 30, 1947.
- 1949: L-H’s last steam locomotive (NKP 779) is completed on May 13, 1949. Lima-Hamilton begins production of Diesel locomotives. Unsuccessful promotion of the 4-8-6. Production of Cranes and other construction equipment continues at the Lima plant.
- 1951: Lima-Hamilton is merged with Baldwin Locomotive Works on September 11, 1951. The new company is named Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation. L-H completes its last diesel, Pennsylvania Railroad A-3177 #5683 on September 12, 1951.
- 1956: Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton exits the locomotive market on May 5, 1956, BLH completes its last diesel, Kaiser Bauxite Company RS-12 #104, exported to Jamaica.
- 1972: Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton goes bankrupt in April, its assets are acquired.
- 1980: Production of cranes and construction equipment ends, Lima factory closed and sold.
- 1998: The former Lima erecting shed and heavy Shay shops are torn down and broken up.
*If you would like to visit the site of the last Lima Steam Engine produced, it is on display at Lincoln Park. 199 S Shawnee St, Lima, OH 45804. There is also a Lima SHAY steam engine on display at the Allen County Historical Museum 620 W Market St, Lima, OH 45801
