Fairbanks-Morse H12-44

Southern Pacific Fairbanks-Morse H12-44

Build Date: 1956

Builder: Fairbanks-Morse, Beloit, Wisconsin

Current Status: Operational

Road: Southern Pacific

Fairbanks Morse had a successful diesel engine design which had been used on much of the US Navy's wartime submarine fleet. By putting two pistons in each cylinder, the design generated almost twice as much power from the same number of cylinders as contemporary offerings. With the tremendous potential market for diesel locomotives, Fairbanks Morse made its entry with what was at the time the most powerful diesel power plant available. Unfortunately, the unique engine design also made the locomotives relatively difficult to maintain.

The Southern Pacific railroad was in the final stages of replacing steam locomotives at the time Number 1581 was delivered. Most of Southern Pacific's 61 unit Fairbanks-Morse fleet was based in the San Francisco Bay area but operated as far east as El Paso. In 1965, number 1581 was renumbered to 2379 and repainted from orange and black "tiger stripes" into the dark gray and scarlet paint scheme. All of Southern Pacific's Fairbanks-Morse locomotives were retired by 1975, with 2379 being resold and used by Southwest Portland Cement in west Texas. The Age of Steam Railroad Museum purchased the locomotive with a generous gift from Lawrence Muir in 1993.