F-M's H16-66 "Baby Train Master" (Part 2) |
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 Recently renumbered MILW H16-66 525 brings gondolas loaded with scrap metal, bound for the North Star Steel plant in Newport, MN, past Burlington Northern's Hoffman Avenue Tower in St. Paul, MN. The Milwaukee Road purchased the first six Phase 2 F-M H16-66s in August-September 1953. The six Milwaukee Road units were produced carrying the Phase 2 carbody and Westinghouse electrical equipment. Ralph Back photo 5 January 1974 |
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Fairbanks-Morse Company introduced a six-axle, 1600-horsepower road switcher in 1950;
the trucks were Commonwealth type similar to those used on Baldwin locomotives because of
large Westinghouse traction motors. Except for the six-wheel trucks, the 54-foot Phase 1
H16-66 employed the same car-body as the builder's four-axle 1500/1600-hp version first
introduced in 1947. It should be noted that F-M's longer, massive and more powerful "Train
Master" was still on the drawing board, thus it would be a misnomer to refer to the Phase
1 H16-66s as "Baby Train Masters."
The first Train Masters emerged from F-M's Beloit, Wisconsin assembly hall in April 1953; the H24-66s were 66-foot-long brutes with a 2400 HP Opposed-piston prime mover. The builder's locomotive catalog was expanded further in August of the same year, with the release of the shorter and less powerful H16-66 (Phase 2) 1600 HP Opposed-piston prime mover, or "Baby Train Master." Production of the Phase 2 six-axle model H16-66 ended in 1958, with a total count of 32 units. The Milwaukee Road purchased the first six Phase 2 F-M H16-66s while two single-unit orders for Alcoa and Tennessee Valley Authority punctuated the locomotive's final production of "Baby Train Masters." F-M's Classification System for its H16-66:
The following table provides a list of original F-M H16-66 "Baby Train Master" owners:
Of all the components that make up a locomotive, the engine is of primary importance. Through its degree of fuel economy, reliability, and ease of maintenance, it governs th success of the entire locomotive. Five million Opposed-Pistons Horsepower in service featuring 2 cycle design, simple construction, rugged dependability, low cost operation, and 40% fewer moving parts have established an impressive performance record for this efficent prime mover. No other engine is so right for railroad service. (FAIRBANKS-MORSE H16-66 general service locomotive publication ALB 110.6)
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| F-M H16-66 "Baby Train Master" Photo Gallery | |||
Click the image to view the four-page F-M 1600 HP H16-66 Publication brochure | 
Chicago & North Western #1693 at Green Bay, WI in September 1975. CNW 1693 was one of the four CNW H16-66s built with a steam generator for passenger service. (Jim Jeffery photo, Ralph Back Collection) C&NW #1693 characterizes the typical Phase 2 H16-66 "Baby Train Master." With 26 of the six-wheel, Phase 2 FMs on the roster, C&NW was the largest operator of the model which was built between 1953 and 1958. |
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 Milwaukee Road #550 at St. Paul, MN. MILW #550 was renumbered MILW #527 in December 1973/January 1974. (Ralph Back photo 22 July 1973) Milwaukee Road's
motive power stable included six of the 1600 HP "Baby Train Masters".
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Milwaukee Road #529 at St. Paul, MN. (Ralph Back photo 3 February 1974) Milwaukee's six H16-66s had small 800 gallon fuel tanks. |
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 MILW H66-66 548 at St. Paul, MN. (Ralph Back photo 22 July 1973) In December 1965/January 1966, MILW 553-555 were rebuilt and renumbered MILW 547-549. In December 1973 MILW 547-549 were renumbered MILW 524-526.
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Squaw Creek Coal Company #721001 at Boonville, IN in July 1973. (Jim Jeffery photo, Ralph Back Collection) Prior to working for the Squaw Creek Coal Company, the #721001 was the property of Alcoa, and it worked the company's large Liberty Mine complex near Boonville, IN. |
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Squaw Creek Coal Company #721001 works at Boonville, IN in July 1973. (Jim Jeffery photo, Ralph Back Collection) Although never on the roster of the CPR, privately-owned Squaw Creek Coal Company #721001 has been repainted in the CPR's 1950s and 1960s "Tuscan and Grey" color scheme, and bears the fictional numbering CPR #7009. The H16-66 "Baby Train Master" is on static display in Nelson, BC where the CP's F-M units were maintained. |
Notes and Reference Sources:
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| Compiled by: R.Craig, Part 2 by: Ralph Back
New 9 December 2022 |
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* * * F-M H16-66 "Baby Train Master" Production Roster * * *
| Original Buyer | Road | Serial Number | Date | Notes |
| Aluminum Co. of America (Alcoa) | 721001 | 16L1159 | 1/58 | to Squaw Creek Coal Company #721001 |
| Chicago & North Western | 1674-1683 | 16L872-16L881 | 8, 7/54 | -- |
| 1691-1693 | 16L983-16L985 | 9-10/55 | Built with steam generator for passenger service | |
| 1694, 1695 | 16L981, 16L982 | 11, 9/55 | -- | |
| 1696-1698 | 16L972-16L974 | 8-9/55 | -- | |
| 1699, 1700 | 16L987, 16L986 | 9/55 | #1700 built with steam generator for passenger service | |
| 1901-1903 | 16L1003-16L1005 | 6/56 | -- | |
| 1904-1906 | 16L1029-16L1031 | 6/56 | -- | |
| Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific | 2125-2127 | 16L757-16L759 | 8/53 | Re-#d 553-555 in 1959; re-#d 547-549 in 1965/66; re-#d 527-529 in December 1973 |
| 2128-2130 | 16L693-16L695 | 9/53 | Re-#d 550-552 in 1959; re-#d 524-526 in December 1973 | |
| Tennessee Valley Authority | 24 | 16L1157 | 10/58 | Re-#d F3060; donated to the Tennessee Railroad Museum in 2021 |