The first Heislers were built by the Dunkirk Engineering Company of Dunkirk, New York, who at the time produced their own different design of geared locomotive 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, which it did until 1904. Reorganised as the Heisler Locomotive Works in 1907, it produced locomotives to the Heisler design until 1941.
Heislers were produced in both two and three truck variants in sizes ranging from 17 tons to 95 tons. Approximately 625 were produced, of which around 35 still exist. About eight of these are currently operational.