FM H-12-44

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FM H-12-44
SP #2380 backs the Del Monte into San Jose in April 1971, a week before the Amtrak takeover.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Fairbanks-Morse Model H-12-44 Build date May 1950 – March 1961 Total produced 336
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Trucks AAR type A Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm) Minimum curve 29.50 (194 ft (59.13 m) radius) Wheelbase 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m) Length 48 ft 10 in (14.88 m) Width 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) Height 14 ft 6+5⁄8 in (4.44 m) Loco weight 240,000 lb (108.9 t) Prime mover FM 38D-8 1/8 Engine type Opposed piston Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots blower Displacement 6,222 cu in (101.96 L) Generator FM DGZJ Traction motors (4) FM DRZH Cylinders 6 (Opposed piston) Cylinder size 8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm) Loco brake Straight air Train brakes Air
Performance figures Maximum speed 60 mph (97 km/h) Power output 1,200 hp (895 kW) Tractive effort 40,440 lbf (179.9 kN))
Career Locale North America Disposition Most scrapped, sixteen examples preserved

The FM H-12-44 was a switcher locomotive produced by Fairbanks-Morse from May 1950 until March 1961. The units had a 1,200-horsepower (890 kW), six-cylinder opposed piston engine prime mover, and were configured in a B-B wheel arrangement mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-A switcher trucks, with all axles powered and geared for a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

Of the 336 H-12-44 locomotives produced, 303 were for American railroads, 30 were made between August 1951 to June 1956 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for use in Canada, and one was exported to Mexico.

H-12-44s were visually indistinguishable from the predecessor FM H-10-44 until September 1952, when the Raymond Loewy design elements were removed to reduce production costs. Cab lines were squared-off, the slanted-nose styling was discontinued, and the roof visor was eliminated. The following year, the fairing over the battery box was removed and louvers added to reduce the chance of battery explosions. Production paused from May to October 1956, after which the carbodies were shortened by some three feet and outfitted with a deeper side skirt.

Sixteen intact examples of the H-12-44 are known to survive, all of which are owned by railroad museums or historical societies.

Several examples of the H-12-44 model have been preserved around the U.S. and Canada.

• Weyerhaeuser Timber Company #1 is preserved at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington. After undergoing a full rebuild and engine overhaul, the locomotive is now run only for special events with its partner caboose, White River Logging Company number 001.
• Former US Army #1843 is a part of the collection at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, New York (south of Rochester). It is in operable condition and is a key locomotive at the RGVRRM.
• Former US Army later US Steel #1845 is currently stored at Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, undergoing restoration. It is privately owned.
• Former US Army #1847 is preserved at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in Sunol, California. It is currently operational and has been painted in "Tiger Stripe" scheme to represent Southern Pacific #1487.
• Former US Army #1849 is preserved for static display at the Bluegrass Railroad Museum in Versailles, Kentucky.
• Former US Army #1850, #1853 and #1861 are stored out of service at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama.
• Former US Army #1854 owned by the city of Ogden, Utah. The engine is stored at the Business Depot Ogden, former Defense Depot in Utah, as of March, 2024. It is currently lettered as Defense Logistics Agency #53205.
• Former US Army #1855 owned and operated (on excursion trains) by Nevada State RR Museum, Boulder City, Nevada.
• Former US Army #1857 is preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California. It was used at the Sierra Army Depot at Herlong, California, located along the former Western Pacific Railroad. It is used in the museum's famous "Rent-A-Locomotive" program.
• Former US Army unit #1860, worked at Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal. It later went to Beaufort & Morehead Railroad in North Carolina as #1860, based at the Morehead City State Ports. The North Carolina Transportation Museum acquired the locomotive in 2004 after disposition from the State Ports. It is now on run occasionally on excursions.
• Former US Steel #9121 is preserved by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. Restoration is underway at SMS Railroad in Bridgeport, New Jersey.
• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #608 (formerly #508) is at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, TX, following a 2017 transfer from the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.
• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #560 is preserved at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, California
• Milwaukee Road 740 is preserved at the Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevue, Ohio. It was originally numbered 2310.

• "Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Locomotive". PSRM Diesel Locomotives. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
• "A Fairbanks-Morse locomotive is being saved". Archived from the original on August 30, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2006.
• Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
• 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.

Specific

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 locomotives.

• Fairbanks-Morse H12-44, H12-44TS & H12-46 Roster
• Preserved Fairbanks Morse Yard Power
• Southern Pacific Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 Roster
• Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. Fairbanks Morse H-12-44 Diesel Electric Locomotive WTC 1