William McKeen

William Riley McKeen, a trained mechanical and electrical engineer, is best known as the inventor of the McKeen Motor Car. Coming from a railroad family, he worked his way up to superintendent of motive power and mechanics for the Union Pacific Railroad. He had the complete confidence of railroad boss E. H. Harriman, at one time getting new shops built for over $1 million.
  When Harriman saw the need for a more economical way to transport passengers over branch lines, he called on McKeen to design a self-propelled rail car, which would be much cheaper to operate than the steam-engined passenger trains of the day. McKeen’s design was a very streamlined shape which was powered by a gasoline engine (originally 100 horsepower, later 200 horsepower.)
  The standard McKeen Motor Car, with its  distinctive porthole windows, carried 75 passengers. Inlaid mahogany, maple flooring and leather or rattan seat upholstery gave the interior an elegant appearance.
  The concept was so successful that a separate company, the McKeen Motor Co. was formed to build the cars in a leased building in the Union Pacific shops. In 1906, 20 cars were shipped east to be used as demonstrators, which caused a great demand for more units. From 1905 to 1917 over 150 cars were built and sold to over 50 railroads across the country. The company was sold back to the Union Pacific in 1918. William McKeen ultimately retired to an avocado ranch in California where he died in 1946 at the age of 77.

— Allen Hendricksen
DCHS Volunteer