The Story of Northwest Engineering Company: Manufactured at Green Bay, Wisconsin

I would like to bring to your attention a recently published book devoted to the long and prestigious history of the Northwest Engineering Company. Just released this past January, The Story of Northwest Engineering Company: Manufactured at Green Bay, Wisconsin can be purchase directly through Amazon. It is the definitive work when it comes to the history,the products, and the people of Northwest Engineering. Inside the book you will find over 346 pages of photos, diagrams and personal accounts assembled by authors Matthew E. Folsom and Mario J. Torres.

The book jacket reads as follows..

Manufactured at Green Bay, Wisconsin” is an account of Northwest Engineering Company from its early days as a builder of tugboats for the World War 1 effort to the role the company played as one of the premier manufacturers of excavators in the world.The team of Folsom and Torres trace Northwest’s rise and eventual demise in vivid clarity giving an account of the company’s key personnel and products. Contained within, on over 300 pages, is informative text and over 400 b/w and color images plus drawings from the authors’, past employees’, and other contributors’ personal collections. Enthusiasts of heavy equipment and the heavy construction machinery industry, and devotees of local interest, will find new insight into this past enterprise of Titletown, USA.

If you head over to Amazon you can browse a few select pages of the book. I suggest you do. Most likely you will be hooked and want to read more. I know I was. Click here for the listing. Reading the introductions of both authors I could immediately understand their passion for Northwest and construction equipment in general. As children, both were fasinated by the jobsites of the neighborhods. I can relate to that! Torres shares with us a wonderful account of watching fully loaded Mack B-81s and DM-800 being loaded in the 50 foot deep pits that would eventually become the foundations of the modern NYC skyline. Once again I ask where is my time traveling Deloran?

NWE BOOK FRONT COVER Print ready

Once you finish with this fine book don’t despair as there are more Northwest books in the pipeline. If all goes according to plan this summer should see the first release in a three volume photography collection. Each book will take a detailed look at a specific point of time in the history of Northwest.

  • Volume One – First and second generation machines (1920-1940)
  • Volume Two – The classic generation (1940-1965) including coverage of Murphy Diesels
  • Volume Three – The final Generations; The Series II machines along with the Hydraulic, &  Experimental models

Archive book Volume #1 ComingSoon

By the way, Matt Folsom has contributed to this site in the past. Click here to view his Euclid C 6-5 dozer in action.

Update 10/30/15

New information from author M.E. Folsom regarding volumes II and III

Volume II went to the publisher back in June (2015) and after a few delays I am told will be delivered from the printers next week.  It will be available from the publisher: Buffalo Road Imports on their site and from the HCEA on their site. I also believe it will be available on Amazon too.

The upcoming Volume II has a lot in the back regarding the engines of choice for Northwest during the “classic years” especially Murphy.

Volume III is all set to be delivered to the publisher right now, I was just waiting to take delivery of Volume II first.

Volume III:  Which I am most proud of, this last one in the series it is going to be 95% color and the longest at 216 pages.  With a large section in the back on the very last Model 190-D made and its recent rebuild at Gerhart Machinery. This big dragline is now working in the Cape May area of New Jersey powered by a big Cummins KT 1150 with a Twin-Disc torque converter coupled to it.

I am hoping for a release date for Volume III this coming summer (2016).

Keep your eyes peeled!

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28 Responses to The Story of Northwest Engineering Company: Manufactured at Green Bay, Wisconsin

  1. Fr. Tim Welles says:

    Would there be any footage of the strike that occurred in 1969, I believe. Both my father and grandfather worked there; and I was only 5 years old when my father took me there with him that day. Just wondering!

    • Matt Folsom says:

      Yes there is a few pages and photos dedicated to the 1969 strike.

      • Brenda Arcand Hartstern says:

        Matt, my dad worked at Northwest engineering at the time of that strike. So did my uncle and my grandfather. While I am not terribly interested in the equipment, I am curious about how the story of the strike was told.
        Feel free to touch base with me!

  2. Matt Folsom says:

    Regarding the Northwest Engineering Company Photographic Archive Series.
    Volume #1 was released last December 2014, Volume #2 will be out by the end of September 2015. Volume #3 the last in the series will be out sometime next summer 2016 .
    All are and will be available through the publisher Buffalo Road Imports or the Historical Construction Equipment Association visit their respective websites.

    • Bob D. says:

      I’m not sure if this will reach Matt or Eric or neither but here it goes. I work for the owner of the building that used to be Northwest’s test lab. If Matt is ever in the Green Bay area, I would love to show him the inside.

  3. D'Arcy Cleveland says:

    hi was wondering how I can get volume 2 and 3 I have volume 1 awesome book ……thanks

    • Eric says:

      I emailed the author and the news is good!

      Volume II went to the publisher back in June (2015) and after a few delays I am told will be delivered from the printers next week. It will be available from the publisher: Buffalo Road Imports on their site and from the HCEA on their site. I also believe it will be available on Amazon too.

      The upcoming Volume II has a lot in the back regarding the engines of choice for Northwest during the “classic years” especially Murphy.

      Volume III is all set to be delivered to the publisher right now, I was just waiting to take delivery of Volume II first.

      Volume III: Which I am most proud of, this last one in the series it is going to be 95% color and the longest at 216 pages. With a large section in the back on the very last Model 190-D made and its recent rebuild at Gerhart Machinery. This big dragline is now working in the Cape May area of New Jersey powered by a big Cummins KT 1150 with a Twin-Disc torque converter coupled to it.
      I am hoping for a release date for Volume III this coming summer (2016).

  4. Dave Frankson says:

    Hi…..I was wondering how to contact Matt Folsom…..my father worked at Northwest Engineering as a welder for 36 years……I was recently going through his papers and came across a “Plant Seniority” list from February 1976 that has the names, department number, clock number, and date of first employment of all plant employees as of 2/12/1976. I’m not sure if that information is relevant or important to him, but I thought I would attempt to contact Matt regarding this information in case he felt it was relevant to any of the three volumes he is writing.

  5. Rob says:

    There is a guy that has tons of Northwest cranes in Connecticut. He has six of them just sitting by the side of the road. They are a true test of time and history.

  6. H. Burger says:

    Dear Sir,
    Is there already information available about publishing date of Northwest engineering company Volume three?

  7. Bill Walsh says:

    Rob that guy in Conn. is a man named Willie Todesco, if you look on you tube and enter the words Diesel Willie you will find him operating some northwest’s. He loves them.

  8. William Travis says:

    I have read the other books but when will vol 3 be for sale?

  9. WILLIAM THOMAS says:

    My name is Bill Thomas . I started working at Northwest when I graduated from high school, in 1971 . I worked in the main machine shop till the placed closed down.
    I made lots of friends there… and we all loved working there ! It was hard work, but a great place to work !

  10. Laura Maner says:

    Would you have a picture of Paul Burke, the chief engineering, who designed many of the attachments for the NW cranes? Also, any info on where he and his family lived?
    I worked at NW Engineering after high school, as secretary in the Repair Parts department.

    Thanks

    • Matt Folsom says:

      Laura,
      I have a few photos of the late Paul Burke and a photo of his house on Spring St in Green Bay .
      I would like to hear from you and discuss your later years Northwest
      Regards,
      Matt.

  11. Biff Burris says:

    Not sure how It came to be lying around at our farm in Texas, but I have a large very heavy cast iron sign with the Northwest logo. I believe it may have doubled as a weight on an excavator. I can send pictures if interested. I would be willing to sell it. Call or text Biff Burris @ Two8one, 2zero2, eighty8forty5.

  12. James Sherry says:

    Hello I just would like to know what ever happened to the PLOW BOOK that was going to be published about snow removal equipment of New York. I was very interested in getting a copy because I am a big fan of snow plows and have other brochures,pamphlets and books. I just want to know.

  13. KevinArola says:

    I found a name plate while building logging roads in SW Washington, has that logo on it, kind of curious about it.

  14. Tim M says:

    I have a N.W. crawler crane. The ID plate is missing. I think it’s a 18 or 25. It’s smaller than a 40. I have the boom also. The foot is 16’ & the crown is 16’. In put welcome.

  15. I grew up with NW Engineering loved the it was the first great excavating

  16. Leny Catalano (Ulivieri maiden name) says:

    I worked at Northwest Engineering after I graduated from high school – I started September 22 1966 and worked for Mr Woodsum in downtown Chicago – had some great memories. I also worked for a Mr Holland.

  17. Rick Akin says:

    Hello
    I am looking for outline dimensions for the Northwest 80D. Does anyone have access to them or can tell me where I might find them?

  18. Matt Folsom says:

    Northwest Engineering Company photographic archive Volume 3 is now out & available for purchase at Buffalo Road Imports.

  19. Mark Dressel says:

    I have a 30 dh excavator and can’t find any information on it.

  20. Brian Woollard says:

    In 1927 Northwest is said to have entered into a license agreement with Attendu Diesel, Ltd, according to a newspaper article of the time – would anyone have any more information about that? Did Northwest ever make or contemplate making their own Diesel engine? Researching it from the Attendu perspective……

  21. James EISENHART Jr says:

    The Reading Railroad bought several of the smaller crawler cranes and mounted them. In Gondola cars,later flat cars. Would these be in the first book?

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