Atlas-Imperial Diesel Engine Company was an American manufacturer of

diesel engines The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

based in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. The company was created in 1916 when two early

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as '' ...

companies combined to manufacture diesel engines, following the expiration of Rudolph Diesel's patents. The company made diesels for

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s, fishboats, coasters, yachts, lightvessels, and other ships. The company produced engines in a variety of sizes and ratings, from a 2-cylinder model that generated to an 8-cylinder model that generated . Known for their reliability and serviceability, Atlas diesels were installed in workboats around the world. While the Atlas-Imperial factory closed in the 1950s, its engines continued to power vessels well into the era of high-speed, small-cylinder diesel technology. Today, numerous Atlas Imperial engines remain, with some still in operational condition.

Sources

External links

Information about Atlas-Imperial diesel engines on Old Tacoma Marine Inc
Engine manufacturers of the United States Marine engine manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Oakland, California Marine diesel engines {{US-manufacturing-company-stub