Collection #

P0199

allison engineering company
collection, ca. 1920–1950

Collection Information

Historical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Contents

Cataloging Information

Processed by

Robert W. Smith, Laurie Randall, Dorothy Nicholson
January 15, 2008

Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

www.indianahistory.org

COLLECTION INFORMATION

VOLUME OF COLLECTION:	1 folder of photographs, 1 OVA graphics folder, 1 8x10 acetate color transparency
COLLECTION DATES:	Ca. 1920–1950
PROVENANCE:	Unknown
RESTRICTIONS:	None
COPYRIGHT:
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS:	Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society.
ALTERNATE FORMATS:
RELATED HOLDINGS:
ACCESSION NUMBER:	0000.0715
NOTES:

historiCAL SKETCH

Allison Engineering Co, founded by James A. Allison, a partner in the Prest-0-Lite Company and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, began as a machine shop in 1913, changed its name to the Allison Engineering Company in 1917, and became a major producer of aircraft engines, hardware, and transmissions. It supplied tools and parts for use in the WWI Liberty engine.  

In 1929, a year after Allison died General Motors Corporation purchased the company. In 1936, it was still listed in the Indianapolis City Directory as Allison Engineering Company located at 1220 Main, Speedway City, Indiana.  By 1940, the plant under the new name, Allison Division of General Motors was located at 4700 W. 10^th in Speedway, Indiana. 

In the 1930’s leading up to WWII Allison developed a liquid-cooled aircraft engine which became the first to qualify at 1,000 horsepower.  As a result, during the war Allison received many contracts from the United States as well as Britain and France.

Under General Motors, it went through several evolutions and name changes, in sequence, as part of The Detroit Diesel-Allison, and later the Allison Gas Turbine and Allison Transmission Divisions. In 1993, Allison Gas became Allison Engine Company. By July, 2007, Allison Transmission had 1500 distributors and dealers in 80 countries, and was still headquartered in Indianapolis.

Sources:

Allison War Album, [Indianapolis : Allison Division, General Motors Corp., 1944] Pamphlet Q Collection: HD9744.A334 G45 1944

Bodenhamer, David and Robert Barrows, eds. Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1994. General Collection: F534.I55 E4 1994

Indianapolis City Directory. Taylor, Mich. : R.L. Polk & Co.,
General Collection: F534.I55 A18

Materials in Collection

Pound, Arthur, Turning Wheel. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1934. General Collection: HD9710.U54 G47 1934

Sloan, Alfred P., My Years with General Motors. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1964. General Collection: HD9710.U54 G48 1990

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection contains images of the Allison Engineering Co. from the 1920s and 1930s and later images from the WWII era when it became Allison Division of General Motors.

There are 23 photographs of various views of Allison Engineering in Speedway, Indiana: offices, laboratories, assembly and test areas, men at work, planes in which Allison components and motors played a prominent role, two mechanics in China “cannibalizing” a plane engine, and tanks. In addition to the photographs there is one color transparency and four prints of Allison powered airplanes ca. 1945. One interior of the Lockheed Plant ca. 1950 is not located in Indiana.

The photographs were numbered by the processor and include brief descriptions in the Contents section of the collection guide.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS	CONTAINER
[1] Allison Engineering Company, office building and bearing shop, exterior view ca. 1935	Photographs: Folder 1
[2] Allison Engineering Company office building and bearing shop, exterior Engine Shop and Dynamometer Bldg; exterior	Photographs: Folder 1
[3] Magnaflux Department Shop Offices, interior views	Photographs: Folder 1
[4] Inspection Dept. Heat Treat Dept., interior views	Photographs: Folder 1
[5] Metallurgical Dept, 2 interior views	Photographs: Folder 1
[6] Torque Stand, 2 views	Photographs: Folder 1
[7] Torque Stand Building, exterior view Interior Torque Stand, interior view	Photographs: Folder 1
[8] Production Assembly Dept. Experimental Assembly Dept., interior view	Photographs: Folder 1
[9] Dynamometer Test Controls, Interior Dynamometer Room,	Photographs: Folder 1
[10] Partial View Drafting Room, Bearings Casting Dept, interior views	Photographs: Folder 1
[11] Machine Shop, two views, interior	Photographs: Folder 1
[12] Machine shop and workers, interior view	Photographs: Folder 1
[13] Partial View Looking West, interior Building #7	Photographs: Folder 1
[14] Machine shop workers with lathes, ca. 1930, interior view	Photographs: Folder 1
[15]   Machine shop and workers with lathes, ca. 1920, interior view	Photographs: Folder 1
[16] Twin engine airplane in flight	Photographs: Folder 1
[17] North American P-51A “Mustang”; two of these were built and powered by Allison F34 engines, rated at 1150 horsepower, circa 1941	Photographs: Folder 1
[18] 4 airplanes on ground, circa 1941	Photographs: Folder 1
[19] Two men with General Chennault’s American Volunteer group in China shown in the field “cannibalizing” an engine from a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The engine, an Allison V1710 liquid-cooled engine, preceded the U. S. into World War II.	Photographs Folder 1
[20] Lockheed Plant, interior view, ca. 1950 [California?]	Photographs Folder 1
[21] Interior view of tank?	Photographs Folder 1
[22] Transmission	Photographs Folder 1
[23] M-4 A.1 Tank that had first Ex100 Cross Drive Transmission, Installed April 10, 1944; exterior view	Photographs Folder1
Single prop airplane with two men standing beside it, circa 1940’s, color transparency	8x10 Acetate Color Negative
[1] Allison Powered P-38 Lightning, [2] Allison Powered P51 and A-36 Mustang, [3] Allison Powered P-39 Airacobra and [4] Allison Powered P-40 Warhawk graphic	OVA Graphics: Folder 1

CATALOGING INFORMATION

For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:

1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog:  http://opac.indianahistory.org/

2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.

3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.

4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, P0199).

5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.