Summary
The FM H-20-44 was a diesel locomotive manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse from June 1947 – March 1954. It represented the company's first foray into the road switcher market. The 2,000 hp (1,490 kW), ten-cylinder opposed piston engine locomotive was referred to by F-M's engineering department as the "Heavy Duty" unit. It was configured in a B-B wheel arrangement mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-B road trucks with all axles powered. H-20-44s shared the same platform and much of the same carbody as the lighter-duty FM H-15-44, which began its production run three months later.
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 An FM H-20-44 locomotive, retired Union Pacific #1366 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the same manner as other F-M switcher models, the H-20-44 started out displaying a variety of Raymond Loewy-inspired contours, only to have the majority of these superfluous trim features stripped from the last few units built as a cost-cutting measure. Only 96 units were built for American railroads, as few firms saw sufficient value in moving freight in greater quantities or at a higher speeds than was possible with the typical 1,500 and 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) four-axle road switchers of the era. Also limiting the model's utility as a true road unit was its lack of a short hood, which the (ironically) lighter-duty H-15-44 did have. Three intact examples of the H-20-44 are known to survive today; all are the property of railroad museums.
A six axle version for better traction was catalogued, but no orders were placed, and no demos were built.
Units produced edit
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad | 6 | 500–505 | 500 preserved at the Galveston Railroad Museum as "Union Pacific 410"[1][2] |
| Fairbanks-Morse (demonstrator units) | 1 | 2000 | Serial number #L1032; sold to the UP later in 1947 and assigned #DS1366; now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum[3] |
| New York Central Railroad | 19 | 7100–7118 | |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 38 | 8917–8942, 9300–9311 | #8931 and #8939 to Penn Central #7731 and #7739 in 1968, retired August 1970 |
| Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway | 22 | 50–71 | |
| Union Pacific Railroad | 10 | DS1360–DS1365, DS1367–DS1370 |
DS 1369 preserved at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in San Diego[4] |
| 96 |
References edit
- "Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Engine". PSRM Diesel Locomotives. Archived from the original on May 26, 2006. Retrieved January 1, 2006.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
- Kirkland, John F. (November 1985). The Diesel Builders Volume 1: Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton. Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-69-6.
Further reading edit
- Sweetland, David R. (1999). Erie-builts and H20-44s: Fairbanks-Morse's 2,000-Horsepower Pioneers. Withers Publishing, Halifax, PA. ISBN 1-881411-22-2.
External links edit
- ^ "Locomotives – Galveston Railroad Museum". Galveston Railroad Museum. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Surviving & Preserved Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives". www.thedieselshop.us. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Union Pacific 1366". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Union Pacific #1369". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- Fairbanks-Morse H20-44 Roster
- Preserved Fairbanks Morse Four-Axle Road Switchers
- PSRMA's History of UP 1369 — photo and short history of the second unit built, one of the three surviving FM H-20-44s.