The FM H-16-44 was a diesel-electric locomotive produced by Fairbanks-Morse from April 1950 – February 1963. The locomotive shared an identical platform and carbody with the predecessor Model FM H-15-44 (but not the FM H-20-44 end cab road switcher which used a different carbody and frame and a larger prime mover), and were equipped with the same eight-cylinder opposed piston engine that had been uprated to . The H-16-44 was configured in a B-B wheel arrangement, mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-B road trucks with all axles powered. In late 1950, the AAR trucks were almost exclusively replaced with the same units found on the company's "C-liner" locomotives.
As with many of their F–M contemporaries, the H-16-44s produced through 1954 featured numerous Raymond Loewy design touches, in this case largely manifested in the form of sloping body lines and a noticeable protrusion in the long hood around the radiator shutters. Cab side window units include inoperable "half moon"-shaped panes, resulting in an oblong-shaped assembly. To reduce manufacturing costs, the curved window panes were eliminated from later models, and from 1953 onward the raised, elongated headlight mounting was omitted. Units built in the "Spartanized" fashion can be spotted by their straight ends, coupled with the lack of superfluous trim. Ventilation slots were added at the battery box to reduce the possibility of explosions. The final production phase, which commenced in March 1955, turned out units that most closely resembled the Fairbanks–Morse "Train Master" series.
209 were built for American railroads, 58 were manufactured from March 1955 – June 1957 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for use in Canada, and 32 units were exported to Mexico.
Units produced by Fairbanks-Morse (1950–1963)
Railroad Quantity Road numbersAkron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad8201–208Alabama Great Southern Railroad66545–6550Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway202800–2819Baltimore and Ohio Railroad10906, 907, 925–927, 6705–6709Bosques de Chihuahua2501, 1000Central Railroad of New Jersey41514–1517Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad 372450–2516Chihuahua al Pacífico30501–525, 600–605Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad6930–935Long Island Rail Road81501–1509Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad51591, 1731–1734, all re-engined by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton in 1960 with I8 608ANew York Central Railroad137000–7012 to Penn Central 5100-5112New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad25560–569, 1600–1614, 1600s to Penn Central 5160-5174 Pennsylvania Railroad108807–8816 to Penn Central 5150-5159Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railroad490–93Southern Railway102146–2155Union Pacific3DS1340–DS1342Virginian Railway4010–49
Units produced by the Canadian Locomotive Company (1955–1957) Railroad Quantity Road numbersCanadian National Railway181841–1858Canadian Pacific Railway408547–8556, 8601–8610, 8709–8728
Preservation Two intact examples and one partially intact example of the H-16-44 are known to survive today, all in Mexico.
Chihuahua al Pacifico #602 is preserved as FNM #602 at the National Rail Museum in Puebla. It was formerly displayed at the Chihuahua al Pacífico shops in Mexico. Chihuahua al Pacifico #524 is partially preserved as part of a memorial at Temoris, Chihuahua. Chihuahua al Pacifico #525 is preserved in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua.
Former Canadian Pacific 8554, which had been set aside for preservation by CP in the 1970's, was scrapped in December 2023.
References
Further reading
External links Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 Roster Preserved Fairbanks Morse Four-Axle Road Switchers Canadian Pacific Railway CLC Locomotives