FM H-12-44
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Locomotives, including FM H-12-44 switcher locomotive |
The FM H-12-44 was a switcher locomotive manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse between May 1950 and March 1961. It was equipped with a , six-cylinder opposed piston engine as its prime mover and utilized a B-B wheel setup on two two-axle AAR Type-A switcher trucks, with all axles powered and designed for a maximum speed of .
From the total of 336 units produced, 303 were operated by American railroads, while the Canadian Locomotive Company constructed 30 units from August 1951 to June 1956 specifically for the Canadian market. Additionally, one unit was shipped to Mexico.
At first, the H-12-44 resembled its predecessor, the FM H-10-44, but starting in September 1952, modifications were introduced to reduce manufacturing expenses: the Raymond Loewy design elements were removed, the cab's contours were squared off, the slanted-nose style was abandoned, and the roof visor was taken off. In 1953, battery box fairings were eliminated and louvers were added to mitigate explosion hazards. Production was halted from May to October 1956; afterwards, the carbodies were shortened by approximately three feet and fitted with deeper side skirts.
Currently, sixteen H-12-44 locomotives remain in preservation, all maintained by railroad museums or historical organizations.
Units produced by Fairbanks-Morse (1950–1961)
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-Morse (demonstrator) | 1 | 76 | Delivered to Yankeetown Dock Corporation 1 |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | 59 | 503–540, 544–564 | Included 3 custom-built FM H-12-44TS units numbered 541-543; unit 543 preserved |
| Ayrshire Collieries Corporation | 1 | 1 | Later transferred to Thunderbird Collieries 1; then to Yankeetown Dock 3 |
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | 17 | 196–197, 310–319, 9722–9726 | Units 310–319 renumbered as 9710–9719; units 196–197 renumbered as 9720–9721 |
| Canadian National Railway | 30 | 1630–1659 | Manufactured by Canadian Locomotive Company |
| Central of Georgia Railway | 4 | 315–318 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 9 | 1071–1072, 1110–1116 | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") | 48 | 1826–1847, 2309–2325 | Renumbered non-sequentially as 700–710, 715–744, and 750–756 |
| Columbia and Cowlitz Railway | 1 | D-2 | Later renumbered #700 |
| Ferrocarril de Chihuahua al Pacífico | 1 | 70 | |
| Indianapolis Union Railway | 3 | 19–21 | |
| Kentucky and Indiana Terminal Railroad | 7 | 60–66 | |
| Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line") | 5 | 315–319 | |
| Minnesota Western Railway | 1 | 10 | Transferred to Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway number 10 |
| New York Central Railroad | 27 | 9111–9137 | Later became Penn Central units numbered 8300-8326 |
| New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road") | 22 | 134–155 | Transferred to Norfolk and Western Railway as units 2134–2155 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 16 | 8708–8723 | Became Penn Central units numbered 8327–8342 |
| Sandersville Railroad | 1 | 100 | Renumbered as number 10 |
| St. Louis-San Francisco Railway ("Frisco") | 4 | 282–285 | |
| Southern Pacific Company | 43 | 1486–1491, 1529–1574, 1577–1596 | |
| Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad) | 2 | 119–120 | Transferred to Southern Pacific as units 1575–1576; renumbered to 2373–2374 |
| Tennessee Valley Authority | 1 | 22 | |
| United States Army | 20 | 1843–1862 | |
| U.S. Steel, Morrisville, Pennsylvania | 8 | GE9–GE16 | |
| Wabash Railroad | 3 | 384–386 | Later transferred to Norfolk and Western as units 3384–3386 |
| White River Lumber Company (Weyerhaeuser) | style="text-align:center;" |1 | WTC 1 | Subsequently transferred to Pacific Transportation Services; preserved in operational condition at Northwest Railway Museum |
| Yankeetown Dock Corporation | 1 | 2 | |
| Total | 336 |
Preservation
Numerous H-12-44 locomotives have been conserved and are distributed throughout the United States and Canada.
- Weyerhaeuser Timber Company #1 is housed at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington. Following a comprehensive overhaul, it is operated exclusively during special occasions alongside its companion caboose.
- The former US Army unit #1843 remains functional at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, New York, where it serves as a prominent display piece.
- Privately owned former US Army/US Steel #1845 is undergoing restoration in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
- At the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in Sunol, California, former US Army #1847 is in working order and features a "Tiger Stripe" paint scheme modeled after Southern Pacific #1487.
- Former US Army #1849 is exhibited as a static display at the Bluegrass Railroad Museum located in Versailles, Kentucky.
- Units #1850, #1853, and #1861, all ex-US Army locomotives, are currently stored out of operation at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama.
- Former US Army #1854, once held in Ogden, Utah at Business Depot Ogden, was dismantled without authorization as of June 2025.
- The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City, Nevada operates former US Army #1855 on excursion trips.
- Preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California, former US Army #1857 participates in the institution’s "Rent-A-Locomotive" program.
- Former US Army #1860, previously stationed at Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal and with the Beaufort & Morehead Railroad, is occasionally used for excursions by the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
- The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey is restoring former US Steel #9121 at SMS Railroad in Bridgeport.
- Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #608 (previously numbered #508) has been relocated from California to the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas as of 2017.
- Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #560 is maintained at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris.
- Milwaukee Road 740 (originally numbered 2310) is preserved at the Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum situated in Bellevue, Ohio.