The Waukesha/Le Roi Connection (Updated December 2014)
(This is the third in a series of six articles about the various engine lines Waukesha acquired over the years that are no longer in production.)
In 1958, Waukesha acquired the rights to the engines of the Le Roi Division of Westinghouse Air Brake Co. (WABCO), in Milwaukee, WI.
The history of the LeRoi company is has not yet been fully researched, but we do know the company started out as the Milwaukee Machine Tool in 1913. In 1917 Charles W. Pendock reorganized the company onto the Le Roi Co. and added a 6-cyl. engine to the 4-cyl engine (3.125 x 5.000) of his design that was already being built. J. Roy Franz becomes VP and Norman Christiansen became Sec/Treas. The plant was located in Milwaukee at 60th and Mitchell streets. Legend has it that the company name was changed to "Le Roi" (The King) after a big order came in from France circa WWI. WABCO purchased LeRoi in 1954 and sold its engine line to Waukesha in 1958. Waukesha marketed the Le Roi engines as "RoiLine". The last of the LeRoi engines were built in 1974.
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| Waukesha ROILine F1850 |
The LeRoi models involved in Waukesha's acquisition were:
| Model |
Cyl. |
Bore x Stroke |
CID |
HP @ RPM |
Years |
| A114 | 1 | 5.125 x 5.125 | 113.6 | 16 @ 1,200 | * |
A288 |
1 |
7.250 x 7.000 |
289.0 |
21 @ 720 |
* |
D140 |
4 |
3.500 x 3.625 |
139.5 |
34 @ 2,400 |
* |
D176 |
4 |
3.750 x 4.000 |
176.7 |
40 @ 2,000 |
* |
D201 |
4 |
4.000 x 4.000 |
201.1 |
45 @ 2,000 |
* |
F1500 |
6 |
6.750 x 7.000 |
1503.0 |
204 @ 1,200 |
* |
F1850 |
6 |
7.500 x 7.000 |
1855.6 |
328 @ 1,200 |
* |
H540 |
V8 |
4.500 x 4.250 |
540.7 |
155 @ 2,400 |
1955-62 |
H570 |
V8 |
4.625 x 4.250 |
571.2 |
238 @ 3,000 |
1959-64 |
H844 |
V8 |
5.250 x 4.875 |
844.3 |
297 @ 2,600 |
1958-74 |
H884 |
V8 |
5.375 x 4.875 |
884.9 |
360 @ 3,000 |
1969-74 |
H2000 |
V8 |
6.750 x 7.000 |
2003.9 |
280 @ 1,200 |
* |
H2470 |
V8 |
7.500 x 7.000 |
2474.0 |
430 @ 1,200 |
* |
L3000 |
Vl2 |
6.750 x 7.000 |
3005.9 |
410 @ 1,200 |
* |
L3230 |
V12 |
7.000 x 7.000 |
3232.7 |
585 @ 1,200 |
* |
L3460 |
Vl2 |
7.250 x 7.000 |
3467.7 |
455 @ 1,200 |
* |
L4000 |
V12 |
7.540 x 7.500 |
4018.6 |
685 @ 1,200 |
* |
*Dates unknown at this time, but by 1974 Waukesha had discontinued all of the LeRoi
line of engines.
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| Waukesha ROILine L4000 Power Unit |
Notes:
- The V8 models, H540, H570, H844 and H884, were built at the Waukesha plant, the others were built at Waukesha's Clinton, Iowa plant.
- The WEHS has service manuals for most of these models and some parts lists.
Rocky, WEHS 5-2013
Copyright © 2014 Waukesha Engine Historical Society, Inc. All rights reserved