Are there any operational Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 or H20-44 locomotives? What would it take to get them going?

Tim

Starting from this list here:
http://www.thedieselshop.us/PRSVDfm.HTML#Four
I can tell you that AC&Y 505 was flood damaged in Galveston, TX as part of the hurricane
BGRM 1849 in Versailles, KY has a main generator fault (or so I've heard?)
Anyone else know anything about the others?

We have H12-44 1855, ex US army at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Its one of 20 built in 1953 for the US Army. We pulled the blower off it in July to send to FM to be rebuilt. It was operable, but had oil control issues until then.

We plan to ship the blower to Houston this winter, then reassemble the locomotive for late spring operation. We also have a new set of batteries on hand, purchased in July.

Randy

RGVRRM in New York has US Army 1843 operational.

US Army 1844 of the Museum of Transportation was scrapped sometime in the last ten years.

IRM has UP H20-44 1369 (Former FM demonstrator # 2000) which is in need of an oil cooler or 2. I believe she last ran in the 1980's.

Jeff

AFAIK, the only surviving H16-44 and H24-66's are in Canada. Some old, repurposed, FM prime movers from railroad locomotives supposedly do remain around the world.

The OP asked about the FM H16-44 or H20-44 models operating, there actually are very few FMs operating of any model, one that I know of is Golden Gate Railroad Museum which has, or had an H12-44 (either US Army or US Navy, I can't remember which) operating, but who knows where it is now. They relocated from Niles Canyon Ry. to a spot on the old Northwestern Pacific, but UP wouldn't ship anything with plain bearings and so they are trucking everything except their passenger cars I believe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0R9eHljo4E

It's too bad the TVA doesn't want to sell this FM to say the TVRM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLH5JwqGxg She's just sitting in the weeds now with broken glass and spray paint all over her.

Robert

I don't know of any H-16-44s or H-20-44s, but if people are bringing up H-12-44's the Kentucky Railway Museum used one #1846 regularly until it was moved to a siding and scrapped in 2010/2011 I believe. The Bluegrass Railroad Museum also has an H-12-44 #1849, but it has not ran since 2002, and from the looks of things, it will likely be many more years before it ever runs again, if at all.

I dare say the TVA FM is the #1 endangered diesel at the moment..

The Northwest Railroad Museum has a H12-44 that is in excellent condition and was previously operational. I rode in it a handful of times and it is one of the smoothest riding locomotives I have ever been on. Has a great sound too. Not sure what the status is now, but on their webpage it says it was planned for minor overhaul to be completed by 2011.

https://www.trainmuseum.org/index.php/w ... rse-h12-44

If the TVA locomotive is to be sold, won't it have to go up for public bid? That could end badly.

The TVA loco in 2008. She looks a little worse now though.

http://train-photos.com/picture/number5242.asp

Another discussion on this loco from 2015,

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3865514

Any my own attempt at having a discussion here on RYPN about the TVA 3060.

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42326&p=280936

She doesn't seem to have the crap that someone sprayed on it though. I must be thinking of another loco.

This loco having been built for the TVA and having spent it's entire working life for the TVA. I don't know how willing they are to let it go at any price. Hopefully not for scrap anytime soon anyways.

Robert

Really off-topic again, so apologies, but there is an Army H12-44 at old Fort Wingate in NM. See it here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/New+M ... 05.8700901
It's no longer lettered for the Army but apparently for the contractor that (I think) used to operate the post.
Ned

The locomotive at Fort Wingate was operational as of 2002. I worked on this engine and attempted to use the trackage for transloading and locomotive and car storage. It ran well except for a balky reverser. It was truly a time capsule overhauled like 1975 and never really used. It had a 1200 series number like the other military 12-44's. There was a really nice engine house, but it was demolished. The contractor said PCB's. So about the time I left for work in Wyoming it was parked were you see it now. Hopefully someone covered the stacks. There was an operation in North Carolina that used 12-44's and the gentleman in charge stopped by to look it over and we talked Fairbanks. Sadly there were many obstacles to turning the fort into a nice railroad operation. I had some customers lined up and the support of the military contractor who used the locomotive occasionally to bring in DOD boxcars of old ordinance to recycle the explosives. Just to many different priorities between the government and two Indian tribes involved. I also worked on Fairbanks diesels on an icebreaker while in the Coast Guard. It was a pleasure to run it!