thumb|250px|Orient Model No. 9 (1902-1903)

thumb|1904 Waltham Orient Buckboard

thumb|1904 Waltham Orient Surrey

thumb|250px|Late Waltham Orient Buckboard (1906)

thumb|250px|1905 Orient 20 HP De Luxe Touring priced at $2250

Waltham Manufacturing Company (WMC) was a manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles, motorized tricycles and quadricycles, buckboards, and automobiles in Waltham, Massachusetts. It sold products under the brand names Orient, Waltham, and Waltham-Orient. The company was founded in 1893, moving to self-propelled vehicles after 1898.

History

Waltham Manufacturing Company was founded by Waltham businessmen around engineer Charles Herman Metz (1863–1937). Metz encouraged two employees to build a steam car of their own in the company's premises, which led to the Waltham Steam. Metz imported French Aster engines, and secured the U.S. distributorship for De Dion-Bouton engines and imported this maker's tricycles and quadricycles. Using De Dion-Bouton patents, WMC started building their own Orient Autogo and Orient Autogo Quad in 1899.

, situated at the rear of the car, produced . The car had tiller steering, weighed and had a range, though minimal springing and the complete lack of any bodywork made it less than practical for a long journey. In the next years, it was offered in several models (including a diminutive delivery car), got an improved suspension, steering wheel, two chains instead of one belt to transmit the power to the rear wheels, and an optional two cylinder engine. It remained in production until 1907.

  • Waltham Model E
  • Waltham Model K
  • Waltham Model L
  • Waltham Model M
  • Waltham Model N
  • Waltham Model R
  • Waltham Orient Light Touring Car
  • Waltham De Luxe Touring Car
  • Waltham Orient Limousine
  • Waltham Delivery
  • Waltham 178 C Parcel Car
  • Waltham 28 Runabout
  • Waltham 138 Roadster
  • Waltham 158 Family Tourer
  • Waltham D.L.R. Runabout
  • Waltham 17
  • Waltham White
  • Waltham 1,5 t Truck
  • Waltham 3 t Truck

See also

  • Brass Era car
  • List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers

References

Further reading

  • Beverly Rae Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America. editor SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Permissions, Warrendale PA 2005, (hardcover)
  • Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)
  • The Great Orient Buckboard Race by Martha Treichler
  • academia.edu: The Metz Company of Waltham by Daniel U. Holbrook (1986) (English) (retrieved, 20 January 2014)
  • historicwaltham.org: Essays / Isabella Perruzzi / Charles Metz
  • trombinoscar.com: Waltham Orient Buckboard Model B.R. and history (French)
  • waltham-community.org: History (timetable)

Bicycles, motorcycles, and Autogos

  • proteanpaper.com: Union Cycle Company catalogue (1894)
  • Picture of a Orient Chainless bicycle (1898); Bicycle Museum of America
  • statnekov.com: Motorcycles Chapter 1 with a picture of the Orient Tandem Pacer motorcycle
  • motorcycles.com: Vintage Motorcycle Marsh-Metz
  • motorcycle.com: Motorcycle history Part 2
  • oldbike.wordpress.com: Motorized Tandems
  • pazhayathu.blogspot.ch: Early Motor-cycles
  • conceptcarz.com: Orient Autogo (1900)

Automobile

  • carfolio.com: 1906 Waltham Orient Buckboard specifications
  • conceptcarz.com: 1903 Waltham Orient Runabout Buckboard
  • conceptcarz.com: 1906 Waltham Orient Runabout Buckboard
  • conceptcarz.com: 1909 Metz Two / 12 HP
  • carfolio.com: 1910 Metz Two / 12 HP specifications
  • oldcarbrochures.com: Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly; "Automobiles of 1904" (January, 1904) (see p. 11)