POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

Two Californians, Elbert J Hall and Bert C Scott formed a business to manufacture petrol-powered rail cars. Hall was the engineer while Scott provided the business acumen. They manufactured their first rail car in 1909 and the Hall-Scott Motor Car Company was launched in Berkeley, California in 1910 with its business office located in San Francisco. The rail car business was slow but cars were sold as far away as China. Production ceased in 1921. Parallel to the manufacture of rail cars Hall-Scott manufactured aero engines for both commercial and military aviation. These aero engines possessed a 'remarkable' power-to-weight ratio, using an overhead cam and hemispherical combustion chamber. The engines also benefited by sharing parts and dimensions between types. Hall and Scott both became associated with the design and manufacture of the "Liberty" aero engine, which has a number of features that are discernably Hall-Scott. Even so Hall-Scott was too small a business to participate in the manufacture of the Libertys. Hall-Scott ceased manufacturing aero engines in the 1920s and turned its attention to the manufacture of engines for boats, buses, trucks and industrial applications. In 1925 Hall-Scott was purchased by American Car and Foundry. In 1958 the engine division was purchased by Hercules Motors Corporation and in 1960 Hall-Scott disappeared as a company.