I recently finished an article about the first EMC 567 engines, and where they went.

https://vintagedieseldesign.com/2023/01 ... m-j-moran/

Fascinating!

Wonderful article! Bravo!

Were the 567's used in the tugs because all the 248 production was going into subs?

Phil Mulligan

I would not rule it out, although I also would not be surprised if they wanted somewhat of a demonstrator of the engine as well for the marine side, being that it was still a few months away from the 567 going into USCG cutters and the big Navy tugs.

248's were essentially a Navy only engine (subs and sub tenders), with only two ever going into a non Navy use, FDNY's fireboat Fire Fighter (which are still used!). Only about 250 248's were built (mostly all 16Cyl outside of the ones in the tenders). The first 278 (non A) engines were only about a year out as well, which were used in a bunch of tugs, amongst the Navy's use. Lots more 278 engines were built, as well as the forthcoming 278A, ironically there is some crossover with all three engines being produced at the same time, I imagine due to contract requirements.

This was also still very much the era when tugs were commonly using large, direct reversing engines, which Winton was still building at the time.

This discussion caused me to take down an interesting book from one of the book cases: Diesels for the First Stealth Weapon: Submarine Power 1902-1945, by Lyle Cummins. This is C. Lyle Cummins, Jr., the son of Clessie Cummins who founded Cummins diesel. Lyle Cummins authored several books about the development of the Diesel engine.

One chapter mentions the several Cleveland diesel models that appear in the link in the initial post of this thread. This chapter, Locomotive Diesels Join the United States Navy 1932-1945, also includes the 567 model and the various F-M diesels used.

Its been a decade or more since my reading of the book. But, I remember that the author notes the parallel and complementary development of Diesel engines for marine and rail use.

The things that GM did in the late 1930s to promote their diesel engine products of EMC, Winton/Cleveland, and Detroit Diesel were just amazing. They had a flair for advertising and publicity far beyond what diesel builders do today.

One of my favorite items from this time period is the GM unit injector sales kit. It gave their salesman all the visuals to explain a unit fuel injector at a time when some customers knew very little about diesel engines. The leather zipper storage pouch contained a perfectly cross sectioned, chrome plated, Detroit Diesel 6-71 unit injector with a very light plunger spring, so it could be operated by hand while manipulating the injector fuel rack to turn the plunger. The kit also contained a set of color "flash cards" that could be shown to the customer to explain the basics of two-stroke cycle diesel engines. The kit is shown in the article "Selling the Diesel" in R&LHS Railroad History a few years ago.

They also produced "GM Diesel Power Sales" dealer signs in 3 foot by 5 foot, steel plate, with colored glass bead finish about 1/16" thick on each side, for hanging out from a building wall on a support. They were pretty much self illuminating, they shine brightly in reflected car headlights. The signs weigh about 60 lbs. They are hurricane proof, the one I have survived Hurricane Carol in the 1950s when there was 5 feet of water in the dealer's building.

And the paper advertising materials, specification books, and service manuals, are all absolutely first class.

PC