FM H-24-66

FM H-24-66 Train Master

Canadian Pacific Railway #8909, a CLC H-24-66 or "Train Master."

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Fairbanks-Morse Build date April 1953–June 1957 Total produced 127

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C-C Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Trucks Baldwin-style Commonwealth Length 66 ft 0 in (20.12 m) Loco weight 375,000 lb (170,000 kg; 170 t) Prime mover 38D-12 Engine type 12-cylinders, Opposed piston two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots blower Displacement 12,443 cu in (203.90 L) Generator DC Traction motors 6x WE 370DE2 DC traction motors (standard) 6x GE 752 DC traction motors Cylinders 12 Cylinder size 8.125 in × 10 in (206 mm × 254 mm) Transmission Diesel-electric Loco brake 24RL air, Dynamic Train brakes Air

Performance figures Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h) / 80 mph (130 km/h) Power output 2,400 hp (1.79 MW) Tractive effort 112,000 lbf (498.2 kN)

Career Locale North America

The H-24-66 was a diesel-electric railway locomotive model produced by Fairbanks-Morse and its Canadian licensee, the Canadian Locomotive Company. These six-axle hood unit road switchers, known as Train Masters were deployed in the United States and Canada during the 1950s. Each locomotive produced 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW). They 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 drop equalized three-axle "Trimount" 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, and GE did not introduce their U25C until September, 1963). Both F-M and CLC ultimately left the locomotive business.