Georg Sigl

Life

Sigl studied to be a locksmith, but later moved to Berlin where, in 1844, he established a small factory for the construction of printing presses. In 1846, he founded a second factory in Vienna.

In 1851, he moved the company to Währinger Straße (then on the outskirts of the city), where he manufactured steam locomotives. In the early 1870s, he produced the first compaction-free, two-stroke locomotive engines, designed by automotive pioneer Siegfried Marcus. In 1861, he leased the Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik from the Creditanstalt and, by 1867, was its owner. It became the largest factory of its kind in the Empire and, by 1870, had produced its 1000th locomotive.

In addition to the locomotive trade, his factories also produced oil presses, marine engines, architectural support structures and equipment for amusement park rides. In 1872, he introduced the "Straßenlokomotive" (road locomotive), that looked like a steam roller and was put to use as a tow truck.

During the Panic of 1873, Sigl lost all of his holdings except his original Vienna factory. The Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik became a public company.

Honors

• On 11 February 1870, he became an Honorary Citizen of Vienna.
• In 1888, a street in Alsergrund was renamed the Georg-Sigl-Gasse.
• In 2011, the Österreichische Post issued a commemorative stamp for his 200th birthday.