FM H-15-44

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 type Diesel-electric
Builder Fairbanks-Morse
Model H-15-44
Build date September 1947–June 1950
Total produced 35
Specifications
AAR wheel arr. B-B
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length 51 ft 0 in (15.54 m)
Loco weight 250,000 lb (113.4 t)
Prime mover FM 38D-8
Engine type Two-stroke diesel
Aspiration Roots blower
Displacement 8,295 cu in (135.93 dm3)
Cylinders 8 (Opposed piston)
Cylinder size 8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm)
Transmission DC generator,
DC traction motors
Loco brake Straight air
Train brakes Air
Performance figures
Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output 1,500 hp (1.12 MW)
Tractive effort 42,125 lbf (187.4 kN)
Career
Locale North America
Disposition All scrapped

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.

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

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
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
2
40–41
Union Pacific
5
DS1325–DS1329
Fitted with steam generator; DS prefix dropped in 1955
Total
35

References

Further reading

External links

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