{"id":3900,"date":"2026-09-20T19:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T23:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/?page_id=3900"},"modified":"2026-09-20T19:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T23:21:56","slug":"raceways-and-the-locomotive-industry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/raceways-and-the-locomotive-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Raceways and the Locomotive Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Paterson’s famous locomotive industry<\/strong> grew from the same industrial foundation that had transformed the Great Falls of the Passaic River into a source of mechanical power.<\/p>\n

Long before Paterson became known as the “Silk City,”<\/strong> the city had established a reputation for machinery, ironworking and precision manufacturing. The raceway system surrounding the Great Falls helped provide the mechanical power that supported this industrial environment.<\/p>\n

The story of Paterson’s locomotives is therefore closely connected to the older story of waterpower, mills and the raceways<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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From Waterpower to Heavy Industry<\/h2>\n

The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures established Paterson’s industrial foundation in the 1790s.<\/p>\n

The raceways provided manufacturers with access to mechanical power.<\/p>\n

Initially, much of the manufacturing centered on textiles and other relatively light industries.<\/p>\n

But the industrial district gradually developed a much broader manufacturing base.<\/p>\n

Paterson became a center for:<\/p>\n