| FM H-20-44 | |
| Powertype: | Diesel-electric |
| Builder: | Fairbanks-Morse |
| Buildmodel: | H-20-44 |
| Builddate: | June 1947 - March 1954 |
| Totalproduction: | 96 |
| Aarwheels: | B-B |
| Uicclass: | B′B′ |
| Length: | 51feet |
| Locoweight: | 2540001NaN1 |
| Primemover: | FM 38D-8 1/8 |
| Enginetype: | Two-stroke diesel |
| Aspiration: | Roots blower |
| Displacement: | 10369cuin |
| Cylindercount: | 10 (Opposed piston) |
| Cylindersize: | 8.125x |
| Transmission: | DC generator, DC traction motors |
| Maxspeed: | 700NaN0 |
| Poweroutput: | 20002NaN2 |
| Tractiveeffort: | 421252NaN2 |
| Locobrakes: | Straight air |
| Trainbrakes: | Air |
| Locale: | North America |
| Disposition: | Three preserved, remainder scrapped |
The FM H-20-44 was a diesel locomotive manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse from June 1947 - March 1954. It represented the company's first foray into the road switcher market. The 2000-1NaN-1, ten-cylinder opposed piston engine locomotive was referred to by F-M's engineering department as the "Heavy Duty" unit. It was configured in a B-B wheel arrangement mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-B road trucks with all axles powered. H-20-44s shared the same platform and much of the same carbody as the lighter-duty FM H-15-44, which began its production run three months later.
In the same manner as other F-M switcher models, the H-20-44 started out displaying a variety of Raymond Loewy-inspired contours, only to have the majority of these superfluous trim features stripped from the last few units built as a cost-cutting measure. Only 96 units were built for American railroads, as few firms saw sufficient value in moving freight in greater quantities or at a higher speeds than was possible with the typical 1,500 and four-axle road switchers of the era. Also limiting the model's utility as a true road unit was its lack of a short hood, which the (ironically) lighter-duty H-15-44 did have. Three intact examples of the H-20-44 are known to survive today; all are preserved at railroad museums. These were former Southwest Portland Cement units donated in the early 1980s.
A six axle version for better traction was catalogued, but no orders were placed, and no demos were built.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 500–505 | 500 sold to Southwest Portland Cement in the 1960s. Donated to the Galveston Railroad Museum in 1984 and repainted as "Union Pacific 410"[1] [2] | ||
| Fairbanks-Morse (demonstrator units) | 1 | 2000 | Serial number #L1032; sold to the UP later in 1947 and assigned #DS1366. Sold to Southwest Portland Cement in 1963 and renumbered 409. Donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in 1984. Still in SWPC paint.[3] | |
| 19 | 7100–7118 | |||
| 38 | 8917–8942, 9300–9311 |
| ||
| 22 | 50–71 | |||
| 10 | DS1360–DS1365, DS1367–DS1370 | DS 1369 sold to Southwest Portland Cement in 1962 and renumbered 69. Donated to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in 1984. Repainted back to UP colors in 1998.[4] | ||
| 96 |