FM's Class 1 Hand-Me-Downs |
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| Long-time friend Lloyd Judd was the only person that I personally knew who was a devout
Fairbanks-Morse fan, and it didn't matter what type of FM locomotive. If it was driven by an
opposed-piston prime mover, he had to get a photo. In the Spring of 1969, he stumbled upon
a lone FM Erie-build B-unit parked at New York Central's West Detroit facilities. By most reports,
the last of the FM Erie-builts had gone to the scrap yard 18 months prior to become automobile
bumpers, frying pans, wheel barrows, etc. The RAMX unit had gotten a reprieve when purchased
by Canada's Rail Maintenance Services.
Of the approximate 1350 FM-built locomotives that were once owned by Class 1 railroads (or their subsidiaries), less than two percent reached the used-locomotive market. FM's opposed-piston engine was most likely the reason - not because it was unreliable, but rather because it had many other valuable applications. An attempt has been made here to identify FMs from class one railroads (and U.S. Army) that received a second chance in revenue service. (Lloyd Judd photo, R. Craig collection) | |
