Hello. Recently, I've thought about kitbashing an FM H20-44 for the Pittsburgh and West Virginia railway. I know that the H20-44 is a couple feet longer than both the H10-44 and H12-44 in overall length, but the truck spacing and centers might be different. Has anyone ever tried kitbashing one of these rare and interesting engines? If not, any tips or suggestions for going about this kitbash for the best results? Any information regarding modeling an H20-44 is greatly appreciated
Freelancer with an interest in N&W, SCL, and other 70s railroads
I know of one fellow who has an H20-44 model that was kitbashed by someone else. I don't know what kind of drive it has. I believe the project started with one or two Walthers FM switchers, plus part of a modified cab from an old Athearn Baldwin switcher. The front of the Walthers shell has a pretty good "late" nose. Several of us in the AC&Y Historical Society have been on the H20 bandwagon for years. For the most part, our discussions have involved the use of two Atlas H15/16-44 shells, with an Atlas drive cut down by 3 scale feet. The AAR trucks are correct for most or all H20-44's. I'm not aware of any of the prototype engines being built with the later C-Liner trucks. Switcher trucks would not be appropriate. The longer engine room is the reason you would need two Atlas shells. The Atlas model provides the much more common early nose, plus a better cab. Of course, this involves scratchbuilding the rear of the cab for true accuracy.
It's strange that this model has only been available as an HO brass import by Alco Models, and as a very early (and probably crude) O scale model from the early 1950's. If any other model versions were ever produced, I'm not aware of them. The prototypes were not extremely numerous, but they were used by U.P. as helpers on Cajon Pass and Sherman Hill; by PRR as local freight and branchline engines serving coal mines on the busy Pittsburgh Division, as well as on several other lines farther west; and by NYC and IHB in the Chicago area and on several other lines. IHB used a wonderful NYC-inspired lightning stripe paint scheme in green and yellow. In addition, they were important mainline motive power on the P&WV and AC&Y.
Incidentally, the last H20 built was AC&Y number 505, and it has the nose like the Walthers switcher. It was sold to Southwest Portland Cement, then eventually went to a museum in Galveston, Texas. Last I heard, it was displayed in a Union Pacific paint scheme.
Good information on H20-44's can be found in:
THE DIESEL BUILDERS, Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton, by John F. Kirkland, Interurban Press, Glendale, California, 1985.
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE PICTORIAL, Vol. 5, Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives, by Paul K. Withers, Withers Publishing, 528 Dunkel School Road, Halifax, PA 17032 (first published in 2000, and probably still in print).
Other good info sources are:
ERIE-BUILTS AND H20-44s by David R. sweetland, Withers Publishing (same address as above), 1999 (still in print).
DIESELIZATION ON THE AC&Y --- THE FIRST FM's, by Bob Lucas, published in the AC&Y Historical Society News, Vol. XVI, Number 3, Fall, 2011
Wow, thank you for the wealth of information you provided. I greatly appreciate since the internet only has so much information on these rare and unique diesels. Sometimes there just isn't a replacement for a well written book when it comes to information. Do any of the resources you listed give dimensions for the H20-44?
Based on your username, and the response you gave me, I'm assuming you're a fan of the Akron, Canton, and Youngstown? Although I don't know much about the AC&Y, I'm interested in their operations. What type of railroad was the AC&Y (i.e. belt line, short line, etc.) and what kind of operations did they have?
Glad to be of help.
Scale drawings for the H20-44 were published by Railroad Model Craftsman many years ago. I don't know the date, but it was probably in the 1950's. These drawings were republished in a book called LOCO 1 --- THE DIESEL, Model Craftsman Publishing Company, Ramsey, New Jersey, 1966. Of course, Carstens is the successor to this company, so they might be able to provide copies (?). According to that drawing, H20-44's had a total length of 51'0" (pulling faces of couplers); 27'0" between truck centers. Trucks were 9'6" wheelbase AAR. Height was 14'6" above the rail (15' 2-1/4" if equipped with dynamic brakes). ERIE-BUILTS AND H20-44's by David Sweetland (mentioned earlier) is still in print and has a scale cutaway drawing. Unfortunately, no dimensions are printed on that drawing.
In its day, AC&Y was a Class 1 railroad. It began as a small switching road in the Akron - Mogadore, Ohio area around 1911 - 12. Early on, it was decided that expansion to Canton and Youngstown would not be fiscally wise. Instead, the road expanded westward through purchase of the run-down Northern Ohio Railway in 1920. This gave the AC&Y a 171-mile intrastate mainline from Mogadore to Delphos, Ohio, which intersected and interchanged with the W&LE, Akron & Barberton Belt, B&O, Erie, PRR, NYC (Big Four), NYC(T&OC), C&O, NKP, and DT&I. All but three of these involved more than one interchange location.
Among AC&Y's claims to fame was the invention of the bay window caboose (1922). The road also was a big user of Mather double-sheath boxcars as late as the 1970's.
This route allowed the Akron business interests to route freight to and from Akron by a wide variety of possible routings. For example, a great deal of Akron - Southwest freight traffic went via St. Louis through NKP interchanges at Bluffton and Delphos. Akron tires and wheel rims went to the Detroit auto plants via DT&I intrerchange at Columbus Grove.
Passenger service was never a big factor. The last scheduled mixed passenger & freight trains were no's 90 and 95, discontinued in 1951 (Ohio's last mixed train). After that, the road was freight only.
By the 1940's, the Akron yard and industrial area were switched by six U.S.R.A. design 0-8-0's. An Alco S-2 and an Alco RS-1 were bought for Akron area swittching in the early 1940's. By then, mainline motive power was mostly handled by upgraded, modernized copies of the U.S.R.A. light 2-8-2 design, supplemented by two classes of 2-8-0's. AC&Y R-2 Mikado 406 was the last Mikado built for a U.S. road (Lima, 1944), and was about as modern as the design could be. After the war, AC&Y wanted to dieselize with Alco power; but Alco was too busy filling other orders. AC&Y bought four secondhand NKP U.S.R.A. 2-8-2's as an interim expedient, then began dieselization of the mainline in 1948 with four F-M H20-44's. Additional F-M hood units were purchased, models H20-44, H15-44, and H16-44, and the last steam engines were retired in 1955.
AC&Y was eventually absorbed by N&W, then spun off to become part of the new W&LE, with the western 1/3 of the line being abandoned (i.e., west of Carey). The line east of Carey still functions as part of the W&LE.
A book on the AC&Y and the affiliated Akron & Barberton Belt in in preparation, and hopefully will be available within a year from now.
You still wouldn't happen to have that article DIESELIZATION ON THE AC&Y --- THE FIRST FM's, by Bob Lucas, published in the AC&Y Historical Society News, Vol. XVI, Number 3, Fall, 2011 I cannot seem to locate it on the AC&Y website.
Thanks
Ryan