FM C-Liners

[Anonymous]

The latest issue of Classic Trains, IMHO one of the best ever, is packed with good stuff on those favorites of railfans, Fairbanks Morse's short-lived C-Liners. Beloved by railfans they might be but the Canadian Pacific road crews and maintenance staff who lived with the beasts had few good things to say of them and were not unhappy when they left the rails for good.

Nobody denies their ability to outpull their competitors but cab crews remember the voracious appetites the units had for lubricating oil and water, as well as their notorious smoke delivery. And the folks responsible for their endless (it seemed) maintenance were driven bonkers every time they had to cope with the intricacies caused by the opposed piston/twin camshafts of their exotic design.

Because of the downtime and labor costs of repair there was no doubt a tendency to put off all but routine maintenance to the last minute. As a result many a C-Liner, as well as H-Liner--the latter of which shared the faults of their sisters--turned up for duty in less than the best shape.

Nevertheless we railfans mourn their passing and take pleasure in the photos preserved in such books as the recently-published "The Crow and the Kettle" by J.F. Garden which I commend to your attention.

[M636C]

The great thing about FM units was their sound, a bit like an EMD blower 567 but distinctive just the same. I really only heard SP FM switchers in San Francisco, and the Trainmasters idling at Fifth and Townsend.

I did hear the FM copies running in China, where they probably had more units than FM ever built. In Russia, they probably built many more still. Units with copies of FM engines (turbocharged, which FM never did to a locomotive engine) were still being built when the Soviet Union finally folded in 1990. The production of FM powered locomotives seems to have ceased then, and other types replaced them for new production. I would guess that the Russians built as many units with FM engines as EMD built with 567 engines, between twenty and thirty thousand!

Peter

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I've read in other postings and elsewhere that OP engines are still in service in stationary and marine applications. Of course, the extra maintenance effort required for them is less of an issue than in railroad service.

[espeefoamer]

I have ridden behind the SP Train Masters.I rode in the first bi-level coach,right behind the loco.It was really great,especially going through the tunnels.The sound there was awesome[8D]!!!

[dickmalon]

There are indeed many industrial and marine applications of the Fairbanks Morse OP technology. I think COLT Industries bought out FM and still manufactures diesels. It's interesting that industrial (including electric generation) and marine applications have been very successful when RR applications haven't. I suspect that it was due in part to the less "stable" frame of a locomotive that twists and shifts while running, and the less than ideal environment in which a RR loco engine operates.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dickmalon

I think COLT Industries bought out FM and still manufactures diesels.

http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/engines/commercial/op/op.htm

[dickmalon]

I think they may have changed their name, been merged or someone else bought them out. Not unusual any more.