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Antique Engine Database
James Cunningham
A rather unusual name on the list of stationary engine builders is that of the James Cunningham Sons & Co. of Rochester, New York. The strangeness does not arise from the company’s capabilities, but rather from the idea that a firm noted for its superb work in the field of fine carriages and later, ultra-expensive automobiles and professional vehicles, would even bother with such things as stationary engines. Cunningham remained a major factor in the fine-car and professional (ambulance and hearse) vehicle field until 1936 when the depression put an end to most firms of this type.
history
The original company dates back to the early 1830s, and by the 1850s, it had a reputation as a builder of expensive but flawless carriages, including very ornate funeral vehicles. By 1907, the firm began to assemble motorized vehicles, using both purchased components and items manufactured in its own shops. The bodies, of course, were strictly Cunningham’s own. By 1909, the company began to manufacture its own 4-cylinder engines, and possibly it was during their era that entry was made into the stationary engine field. Since no information can be found regarding the Cunningham stationary engines, it must be theorized that they were derivatives of the automotive engines, which would mean they were of water-cooled, overhead valve design. By 1916, Cunningham was also producing a large V-8, but it does not seem likely that this would have been practical for stationary use. If the above theory is correct it would seem that the cunningham engines would be used almost exclusively to power home and shop generators, and not as farm-style engines.
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