Waterloo, IA: John Deere/Waterloo Boy Engine and Tractor Plants

Museum: (Satellite)

Driver Train Operations: (Satellite)

Service Parts Operations: (Satellite)

Waterloo Boy started by making stationary engines. (I originally wrote "gasolene engines," but the early engines ran on kerosene. Fortunately, I caught my mistake.)

9:41 video @ 1:43 via Dennis DeBruler

As tractors were being developed at the interesting turn of the century, Waterloo Boy mounted their engines on frames and wheels to also make tractors. The tractor in the foreground has their original livery. They changed to green and yellow when John Deere assumed control of the company in 1918.

Tim Rohde posted via Dennis DeBruler

John Deere's original designs for tractors failed, so they bought Waterloo Boy to fill what had become a serious hole in their product line. And to this day, John Deere tractors are made in this town. However, the manufacturing plants have changed a lot.

Viral Media posted

1944 John Deere Waterloo Works

For comparison to the modern facility, this is a historical aerial view taken in 1944. Operations in Waterloo began in 1918 building “Waterloo Boy” tractors. It was under a different name because Deere & Company bought out the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. They continued manufacturing the popular "Waterloo Boy" tractor under that brand name until 1923 when John Deere came out with the John Deere Model D. In 1927, John Deere came out with its first harvester. This is how the John Deere Tractor Company came to be located in Waterloo, Iowa. The photo from 1944 shows a large network of buildings, railroad lines and roads. Photo from the State Historical Society of Iowa, 1944.

The History of John Deere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoFqUccdIHQ

The buildings in the photo above are in black on this map; and the purple buildings, and canal, are today's Drivetrain Operations, Service Parts Operations, and Foundry Operations. (I hope they filled in that floodplain before they built on it.)

They have grown to have several other locations around town.

Satellite

This is the video specified above in Viral Meida's comments. A history of John Deere tractors from 1918 to 2018. As I expected, the history skips the early years when they tried, but failed, to develop their own tractors. I wonder if they introduced their quad-track tractor 17 years after CaseIH introduced them because that is when patents expire.

4:21 video @ 4:07

Three of their Waterloo locations offer 90-minute riding tours for free. [Deere_tours]

The Tractor Operations assembles 7, 8, and 9 Series tractors. [SilosAndSmokestacks]