The first Heislers were built by the Dunkirk Engineering Company of
Dunkirk, New York, at the time producer of their own design of geared locomotive (called the Dunkirk), of which the Heisler could be considered an improvement. They did not adopt the Heisler design, but in 1894 the
Stearns Manufacturing Company of
Erie, Pennsylvania started to produce Heislers, and did so until 1904. Reorganised as the
Heisler Locomotive Works in 1907, it produced locomotives of the Heisler design until 1941.
A&G Price of
Thames, New Zealand received an order for a Heisler locomotive in 1943 from Ogilvie and Co, sawmillers of
Hokitika, who wanted to purchase a Heisler locomotive but were unable to do so as production of Heisler locomotives had ceased in 1941. The resulting locomotive, maker's NO 148 of 1944, was the last Heisler-design steam locomotive to be built, and closely followed Heisler practice but with the addition of a Belpaire firebox and front-mounted water tanks that featured a unique curved leading edge. ==Variants==