File:From the Museum Collection- Seat, Railroad. 1903-1925. Hale and Kilburn Corp. L&WV RR. Grecian-style base with channel steel (bbcc8cff-b710-46e4-859f-92401d5366a8).jpg

Seat, Railroad. 1903-1925. Hale and Kilburn Corp. L&WV RR. Grecian-style base with channel steel legs. Stylized "HK" flanked by "PHILA" and "PENNA" and Fleurs-De-Lis are embossed on the side braces. Brass grab handle, upper right corner. Metal is painted blue. Back rest retains original purple plush upholstery. Seat cushion re-upholstered in brown leatherette. Backrest is permanently fixed in position for single-direction operation.

From the Museum Collection: Seat, Railroad. 1903-1925. Hale and Kilburn Corp. L&WV RR. Grecian-style base with channel steel legs. Stylized "HK" flanked by "PHILA" and "PENNA" and Fleurs-De-Lis are embossed on the side braces. Brass grab handle, upper right corner. Metal is painted blue. Back rest retains original purple plush upholstery. Seat cushion re-upholstered in brown leatherette. Backrest is permanently fixed in position for single-direction operation. The coach seat came from a Laurel Line car. The back of the coach seat retains its original upholstery, the bottom of the seat was recovered by the railroad. Hale & Kilburn started off in Philadelphia in 1873 building parlor furniture, commodes, and other household products. By the turn of the century they had become famous for their streetcar and railroad seating. One standout was a “walkover” railroad bench seat that incorporated a pedestal that allowed it to be rotated 180° allowing it to face forward or backward depending on the direction of train. At this time, most of their seating was built using cast-iron frames and pedestals. An employee developed pressed steel replacements for the cast-metal products using a combination of sheet steel stampings and oxy-acetylene welding (invented in 1895, perfected by Hale & Kilburn), thereby reducing both weight and cost but stronger, and more fire resistant. With the new technology, Hale & Kilburn produced hundreds of all-steel passenger car seats for the Pullman Company in the early 1900s. In fact, they showed Pullman a design of a railroad car seat made of steel that was reversible – the seat’s back could be flipped forward and back so that passengers could always face forward. During 1911 Hale & Kilburn was acquired by J.P Morgan for $9 million, and the existing management was replaced by Morgan administrators. Hale & Kilburn prospered and was the premier manufacturer of railcar seating in the country. In 1918, the Hale & Kilburn plant was engaged in the manufacture of pressed metal automobile parts and units, car seats for steam and electric railways and other pressed metal products. On September 19, 1920 stockholders of the Hale & Kilburn Corporation accepted a takeover plan orchestrated by the American Can-controlled American Motor Body Co.

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