Three photographs depict the Four Aces, a train that logged 100,000 miles in testimony to the performance of its bearings produced by the Canton-based Timken Company. The photographs measure approximately 8.5" by 11" (22 by 28 cm).

In 1930 Timken ordered a steam locomotive and christened it Timken 1111 - known as The Four Aces. It was the first steam locomotive completely equipped with Timken roller bearings. Timken launched a major sales pitch by loaning the train to 14 different railroads in 18 months. The train covered 100,000 miles in test runs, proving the durability of Timken bearings in the railroad industry. Timken then sold The Four Aces to the Northern Pacific Railroad; it covered 1.6 million miles by 1955. The incredibly successful demonstration earned Timken orders from three railroads. They were positioned to launch a massive campaign to increase railroad sales, but by then the Great Depression had taken a toll on all industries.

The Timken Company began as the Timken Carriage Company in 1898 in St. Louis, Missouri. The company developed a new kind of roller bearing that they first used on their buggies and wagons. Making roller bearings for other manufacturers became the company's focus. Henry Timken patented a tapered roller bearing in 1898 and started a company to produce it in 1899. Henry's sons, Henry H. (H.H.) and William R. (W.R.) Timken, took over the business soon after. As their business grew, they realized their distance from the steel market was resulting in high freight costs and shipping delays. They chose Canton as their new location and in 1901 they broke ground for a new building.

The Timken Company became an internation leader in the production of roller bearings, alloy and specialty steels, and related products. Their bearings have been used in all types of vehicles from trains to cars to space shuttles. Timken produced more than 6 billion bearings between 1899 and 2003.