RICHMOND

Wayne Works (1901-1917)

Richmond, Indiana

This is a Richmond radiator emblem (c1908)    ms
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

The Wayne Works of Richmond had been making farm implements since the 1870's and by the 1890's they were manufacturing light carriages, buggies and farm wagons. Sometime around 1901 Wayne Works built a two-cylinder touring car and another was built in 1902.

Production of  the Richmond began in 1904. The car was called "The Richmond" and was introduced as a 20 hp four-cylinder side entrance tonneau.

The Richmond was a conventional car but had a good reputation for reliability. Over the years, the range of models and body styles grew and a 48 hp six-cylinder model was added in 1914. In the period 1915-1917, the Wayne Works also supplied the Herff-Brooks Corporation with Richmond cars badged as Herff-Brooks.

After 1917 and the onset of the First World War, the automobile department of Wayne Works was closed down, because they could not compete with other motor vehicle manufacturers and also because Wayne Works had found a more lucrative business building commercial bodies for motorized chassis, particularly bus and coach bodies.

Emblems

The first Richmond production cars did not carry an emblem but may have shown the "Richmond" name on a cast brass, combined nameplate and serial plate similar to the example shown below. This Richmond nameplate was used on a Richmond Model J from 1908 but the same type of nameplate/serial plate was used much earlier. This type of Richmond nameplate/serial plate is very rare.

This is a Richmond combined nameplate & serial plate (1908)    dkc
Size: 76mm diameter

The first Richmond radiator emblem was a cast brass emblem, which appeared in about 1907, see example shown above at the top of this post. This Richmond radiator emblem is very rare. 

This type of radiator emblem is mounted on the radiator grille of a surviving 1907 Richmond runabout displayed at the Wayne County Historical Museum, see below. However, I cannot confirm that this radiator emblem was attached to the car in 1907. 

This is a Richmond roadster displaying a cast brass radiator emblem (1907)    wchm

There was also a brass Richmond radiator script, see example below. The Richmond radiator script shown below is displayed on a surviving Richmond touring car from 1909 but I expect that this script was in use some years earlier.

This is a Richmond radiator script (c1909)     wchm
Size: Unknown

The following photo shows a pressed brass Richmond radiator emblem, but I do not know when this emblem was used. This Richmond radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Richmond radiator emblem (dates unknown)     mjs
Size: 98mm wide 53mm high

The 1913 Richmond brochure shows the Model O-2 with a circular emblem mounted on the top front of the radiator shell, see example below:

This Richmond brochure shows a circular radiator emblem (1913)   sfam

Close up showing the Richmond radiator emblem (1913)   sfam

This is the white, red and dark blue enamel Richmond radiator emblem seen on a surviving Richmond car as shown below:

This shows the Richmond radiator emblem ( date unknown) bwc

The following photo shows this extremely rare Richmond radiator emblem, which has been damaged and crudely restored. I do not know the actual dates of use of this Richmond radiator emblem. This radiator emblem may have been in use before 1913 and may have continued in use until 1917 but I cannot confirm this.

This is a Richmond radiator emblem (c1913 overall dates unknown)    jtc
Size: 54mm diameter    MM: Bastian

If you can help by confirming the dates of use of any of the Richmond radiator emblems shown above, please let me know in order to update this post.