FM H-15-44

The FM H-15-44 was a road-switcher manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse from September 1947 to June 1950. The locomotive was powered by a 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW), eight-cylinder opposed piston engine as its prime mover, and was configured in a B-B wheel arrangement mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-B road trucks with all axles powered. The H-15-44 featured an offset cab design that provided space for an optional steam generator in the short hood, making the model versatile enough to work in passenger service as well as freight duty.

FM H-15-44
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad #151, an FM H-15-44 road-switcher, leads a westbound freight train out of Denver, Colorado in July 1952. One of the first units produced, it displays the Loewy design cues that were a signature feature of many early Fairbanks-Morse locomotives.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderFairbanks-Morse
ModelH-15-44
Build dateSeptember 1947–June 1950
Total produced35
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AARB-B
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length51 ft 0 in (15.54 m)
Loco weight250,000 lb (113.4 t)
Prime moverFM 38D-8 1/8
Engine typeTwo-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots blower
Displacement8,295 cu in (135.93 dm3)
Cylinders8 (Opposed piston)
Cylinder size8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm)
TransmissionDC generator,
DC traction motors
Loco brakeStraight air
Train brakesAir
Performance figures
Maximum speed65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output1,500 hp (1.12 MW)
Tractive effort42,125 lbf (187.4 kN)
Career
LocaleNorth America
DispositionAll scrapped

Raymond Loewy heavily influenced the look of the unit, which emphasized sloping lines and accented such features as the radiator shutters and headlight mounting, as is found on CNJR #1501 and KCS #40. The cab-side window assembly incorporated "half moon"-shaped inoperable panes which resulted in an overall oblong shape. The platform (underframe) was shared with F-M's 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW) end cab road switcher, the FM H-20-44, as was the carbody to some extent. The platform and carbody was also utilized by the H-15-44's successor, the FM H-16-44.

Only 35 units were built for American railroads and none exist today.

Original buyers
RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes
Fairbanks-Morse (demonstrators)
2
1500
to Central Railroad of New Jersey 1500
1503
Up-rated to 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) and sold Long Island Rail Road #1503
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
1
200
Central of Georgia Railway
5
101–105
Central Railroad of New Jersey
13
1501–1513
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (“Monon”)
2
36–37
Renumbered 45–46
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
2
400–401
Re-engined by Electro-Motive Division
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
3
150–152
Kansas City Southern Railway ("Louisiana and Arkansas Railway")
2
40–41
Union Pacific
5
DS1325–DS1329
Fitted with steam generator; DS prefix dropped in 1955
Total
35
gollark: ++delete format
gollark: ++delete setattr
gollark: ++delete set
gollark: ++delete quit
gollark: ++delete vars

References
  • "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
  • Sweetland, David R. (2004). H15-44 and H16-44: Fairbank-Morse's Distinctive Road Switchers. Withers Publishing, Halifax, PA. ISBN 1-881411-41-9.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.