Vulcan Iron Works

is vulcan iron works of San Francisco,Ca the same compony as vulcan iron works of Barre ,Pa looks like both built steam loco's but they are vary different types ?

Just to confuse things even more, there was a "Vulcan Foundry" in Britain that also built locomotives: I assume it had no connection with (either of) the American company(ies). ... Vulcan having been the "patron" god of metalwork, the "Blacksmith of the gods," in ancient Roman religion (identified with the Greek god Hephaestus/Hephaistos), I suspect that many people going into the iron and steel business ("foundry founders," so to say (grin!)) might have chosen the name independently.

Different company's. Vulcan of San Francisco built geared and rod type steam engines, mainly for company and logging type uses. They also produced inspection type equipment.The Wilkes-Barre company was more diverse. Vulcan of SF was a specialty builder at the time around the Civil War. In spite of the fact that they were local, I can't find any reference to any of the pre-cable SF steam dummies or other engines used in SF passenger service being manufactured by them. Most of these were Baldwin products. Didn't Edaville Railroad have a Vulcan on static display at one time ? I seem to recall it sitting there- a small industrial tank-type little engine. I know that WW&F in Maine has a working one, although I don't know for sure which company (probably PA) it is. As both company's were around at the same time (although I believe that the PA company lasted a lot longer into the 1950's), undoubtably a lot of people have thought that they were the same, although I would imagine that finding a SF Vulcan would be quite a rare find. Anything, pre-earthquake (1906) SF is a find as very little has made it into the 21st Century.

I'm not sure how long the Wilkes-Barre company lasted, but AT LEAST until 1948: that's when they built 88 2-10-0 steam locomotives for TCDD (Turkish Railways).

For what it is worth, the last big contracts earned by
VULCAN (i.e.Pa) was for eight coupled 2-8-2s built for UNRRA
or Marshall Plan sponsored locos that were used primarily
in Europe and Near East. These were considerably larger than
locomotives usually built by them for the industrial market.
When these contracts were filled, as on other US steam loco
makers, that was essentially it. Demand for new steam had
dried up, and surplus DEs from the military were being bought
by short haul, and major industrial users. The benefits of
eliminating steam overhead costs, and the steam maintanance work
force had even greater appeal to these marginal carriers
than the Class Ones.
Good-Luck, PJB