FM Train Master

Infobox Locomotive
name = FM H-24-66 Train Master
powertype = Diesel-electric


imagesize = 300
caption = Canadian Pacific Railway #8909, a CLC H-24-66 or "Train Master."
designer =
builder = Fairbanks-Morse
serialnumber =
buildmodel =
builddate = 1951-53
totalproduction = 107
aarwheels = C-C
gauge = RailGauge|ussg
trucks = Baldwin-style Commonwealth
wheeldiameter =
wheelbase =
length = 66 ft (20.12 m)
width =
height =
framesize =
weight = 375,000 lb (170,000 kg)
fueltype =
fuelc

primemover = 38D-12
enginetype = 2-stroke diesel
aspiration = Roots blower
displacement = 6,216 in³ (101.9 L)
alternator =
tractionmotors =
cylindercount = 12-cylinders, Opposed piston
cylindersize = 8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm)
transmission = DC generator, DC traction motors
topspeed = 65 mph / 80 mph (105 km/h / 129 km/h)
poweroutput = 2,400 hp (1,790 kW)
tractiveeffort = 112,000 lbf (498 kN)
locobrakes = Straight air / Dynamic
trainbrakes = 26L air
safety =
railroad =
numinclass =
roadnumber =
officialname =
nicknames =
locale =
deliverydate =
firstrundate =
lastrundate =
retiredate =
restoredate =
scrapdate =
currentowner =
disposition = Infobox Locomotive
name = FM H-16-66 Train Master
powertype = Diesel-electric

---

imagesize = 300
caption = Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad #553, a late model FM H-16-66 or "Baby Train Master." Virtually all of the original Loewy-inspired design features have been omitted from the unit.
designer =
builder = Fairbanks-Morse
serialnumber =
buildmodel =
builddate = 1951-53
totalproduction = 59
aarwheels = C-C
gauge = RailGauge|ussg
trucks = Baldwin-style Commonwealth
bogies =
wheeldiameter =
wheelbase =
length = 66 ft (20.12 m)
width =
height =
framesize =
weight = 375,000 lb (170,000 kg)
fueltype =
fuelc

primemover = 38D-12
enginetype = 2-stroke diesel
aspiration = Roots blower
displacement = 6,216 in³ (101.9 L)
alternator =
generator =
tractionmotors =
cylindercount = 12-cylinders, Opposed piston
cylindersize = 8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm)
transmission = DC generator, DC traction motors
topspeed = 65 mph / 80 mph (105 km/h / 129 km/h)
poweroutput = 1,600 hp (1,200 kW)
tractiveeffort = 112,000 lbf (498 kN)
locobrakes = Straight air / Dynamic
trainbrakes = 26L air
safety =
railroad =
numinclass =
roadnumber =
officialname =
nicknames = Baby Train Master
locale =
deliverydate =
firstrundate =
lastrundate =
retiredate =
restoredate =
scrapdate =
currentowner =
disposition =

Train Master was the promotional designation for a diesel-electric railway locomotive model produced by Fairbanks-Morse and its Canadian licensee, the Canadian Locomotive Company. These 6-axle hood unit road switchers produced 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW) and were the successor to the ultimately unsuccessful Consolidated line of cab units produced by F-M and CLC in the 1950s. In common with other F-M locomotives, the Train Master units employed an opposed piston-design prime mover. The official model designation was H-24-66 and rode on a pair of double equalized three-axle trucks giving it an C-C wheel arrangement.

Touted by Fairbanks-Morse as "...the most useful locomotive ever built..." upon its introduction in 1953, the 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW) H-24-66 Train Master was the most powerful single-engine diesel locomotive available, legendary for its pulling power and rapid acceleration. While some railroads saw advantages in the Train Master's greater power, the perception on the part of others that the unit had too much horsepower (coupled with the difficulties inherent in maintaining the opposed-piston engine, inadequacies in the electrical system, and a higher-than-normal consumption of cooling water) contributed to poor marketplace acceptance of the Train Masters. Perhaps it was simply ahead of its time, as no competitor offered a locomotive with an equal horsepower rating until the ALCO RSD-7 entered production in January, 1954 (As an aside, the EMD SD24 did not arrive on the scene until July, 1958). Both F-M and CLC ultimately left the locomotive business.

Only one Train Master locomotive remains in active service — former Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) H-24-66 #8905 is now owned by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, which operates the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec. Former Alcoa H-16-66 #721001 is privately owned, and has been preserved and stored by the CPR in Ogden.

FM H-24-66

The H-24-66 "Train Master" is a 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW) locomotive unit. Three different carbody variants were produced, and were differentiated as follows: Phase 1a units had their air intake louvers located in a continuous line along the top of the long hood, and a wide separating strip between the radiator fans; Phase 1b modifications were minor, consisting only of a "dip" in the long hood handrails that allowed them to better follow the profile of the side walkways; Phase 2 units boasted fewer air intake louvers, with large gaps separating them (the radiators themselves were divided by only a tiny metal strip).

Units produced by Fairbanks-Morse (1953–1956)

References

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Further reading

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ee also

* List of Fairbanks-Morse locomotives

External links

* [http://www.sessions-station.com/Fairbanks-Morse%20Train%20Master%20Sales%20Booklet.htm Fairbanks-Morse Train Master Sales Booklet: The Lackawanna Story]
* [http://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_H1666.HTML Fairbanks-Morse H16-66 Roster]
* [http://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_H2466.HTML Fairbanks-Morse H24-66 Roster]
* [http://www.thedieselshop.us/PRSVDfm.HTML#Six Preserved Fairbanks Morse Six-Axle Road Switchers]
* [http://members.shaw.ca/cprclc/ Canadian Pacific Railway CLC Locomotives]