View source for FM Erie-built

{{more footnotes|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox locomotive
|name             = FM Erie-built
|powertype        = Diesel
|image            = FM Erie-built AT&SF90.jpg
|caption          = The lone A-B-A set of Erie-builts ordered by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]], built in May 1947, hauled a number of its  [[List of named passenger trains|named]] [[train|passenger trains]], among them the ''[[Super Chief]]'' and ''[[San Diegan (train)|San Diegan]]''.
|builder          = [[Fairbanks-Morse]], at General Electric's Erie, Pennsylvania plant
|ordernumber      =
|serialnumber     =
|buildmodel       = Erie-built
|builddate        = December 1945 to April 1949
|totalproduction  = 82 cab units,<br>29 boosters
|aarwheels        = A1A-A1A
|uicclass         =
|gauge            = {{track gauge|ussg}}
|trucks           = 
|bogies           =
|wheeldiameter    = {{convert|40|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|trailingdiameter =
|minimumcurve     = 210 ({{convert|273|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} radius
|wheelbase        = {{convert|51|ft|11|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|length           = {{convert|64|ft|10|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|width            = {{convert|10|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|height           = {{convert|15|ft|7|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|axleload         =
|weightondrivers  =
|locoweight       = <!-- {{convert|xx|t|lb|abbr=on}} -->
|fueltype         =
|fuelcap          =
|lubecap          =
|coolantcap       =
|watercap         =
|sandcap          =
|consumption      =
|watercons        =
|primemover       = [[Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engine|FM 38D-8 1/8]]
|rpmrange         = 850 r.p.m. max
|enginetype       = [[Opposed piston engine|Opposed piston diesel]]
|aspiration       =
|displacement     = {{convert|10369|cuin|L|2|abbr=on}}
|alternator       =
|generator        = FM GT-567
|tractionmotors   = (4) GE 746 
|cylindercount    = 10
|cylindersize     = {{convert|8.125|x|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|transmission     =
|multipleworking  =
|maxspeed         =
|poweroutput      = {{convert|2000|hp|MW|2|abbr=on}}
|tractiveeffort   = {{convert|54850|lbf|kN|1|abbr=on|lk=on}})
|factorofadhesion =
|trainheating     = Steam generator
|locobrakes       =
|locobrakeforce   =
|trainbrakes      = Air
|safety           =
|operator         =
|operatorclass    =
|powerclass       =
|numinclass       =
|fleetnumbers     =
|officialname     =
|nicknames        =
|axleloadclass    =
|locale           =
|deliverydate     =
|firstrundate     =
|lastrundate      =
|retiredate       =
|withdrawndate    =
|preservedunits   =
|restoredate      =
|scrapdate        =
|currentowner     =
|disposition      = All scrapped
}}

The '''Erie-built''' was the first streamlined, cab-equipped dual service [[diesel locomotive]] built by [[Fairbanks-Morse]], introduced as direct competition to such models as the [[ALCO PA]] and [[ALCO FA|FA]] and [[EMD FT]].<ref name="Aldag1">{{cite magazine |last=Aldag Jr. |first=Robert |date=March 1987 |title=F-M Against the Odds Part 1: How Fairbanks Morse Got Into the Locomotive Business |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Co.}}</ref> F-M lacked the space and staff to design and manufacture large road locomotives in their own plant at [[Beloit, Wisconsin]], and was concerned that waiting to develop the necessary infrastructure would cause them to miss out on the market opportunity for large road locomotives.<ref name="Aldag1" /> Engineering and assembly work was subcontracted out to [[GE Transportation Systems|General Electric]], which produced the locomotives at its [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], facility, thereby giving rise to the name "Erie-built."

At the time, diesel road power was sold as multi-unit locomotives. The Erie-Built used the {{convert|2000|hp|abbr=on}}, ten-cylinder version of F-M's [[Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engine|Model 38D 8-1/8]] [[opposed piston engine|opposed piston]] [[diesel engine]], which had seen success as a [[submarine]] powerplant in [[World War II]], as its [[Prime mover (locomotive)|prime mover]]. This allowed the Erie-Built to deliver a {{convert|6000|hp|abbr=on}} locomotive consisting of only three units, versus four units for the {{convert|5400|hp|abbr=on}} [[EMD FT]] and {{convert|6000|hp|abbr=on}} [[ALCO FA]]. The Erie-Built used GE's model 746 traction motor, as used on the [[Great Northern Y-1]] [[electric locomotive]],<ref name="Aldag1" /> making it the first diesel-electric locomotive to deliver {{convert|500|hp|abbr=on}} per axle.<ref name="Aldag1" /> The locomotive was too heavy for a four-axle  wheel arrangement, and had to be fitted with idler axles. The [[AAR wheel arrangement#A1A-A1A|A1A-A1A]] [[wheel arrangement]] enabled the Erie-Built to meet axle-load limitations while maintaining the simplicity and lower cost of a four-motor transmission, though it meant the Erie-Built was more prone to wheelslip than the FT.<ref name="Aldag1" />

F-M retained the services of renowned industrial designer [[Raymond Loewy]] to create a visually impressive car body for the Erie-built. The initial windshield configuration utilized rectangular glass panes, whereas those units manufactured after March, 1947 received windshields with a curved upper contour. 

The [[Union Pacific Railroad]] bought the first A-B-A set, which was delivered in December 1945.<ref name="Aldag1" /> Subsequent engine troubles and a nine-month strike at the Beloit plant made it difficult to get repeat orders.<ref name="Aldag1" /> The largest order came in 1947, when the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ordered 16 three-unit A-B-A sets.<ref name="Aldag1" /> [[Kansas City Southern Railway]] ordered a four-unit, {{convert|8000|hp|abbr=on}}, A-B-B-A set to run long trains at faster speed. However, the resulting [[slack action]] on trains spanning several up-and-down gradients resulted in an excess of broken [[draft gear]].<ref name="Aldag1" /> KCS bought five more units to reconfigure its Erie-Builts to {{convert|6000|hp|abbr=on}} A-B-A sets.<ref name="Aldag1" />

Most units rode on conventional [[General Steel Castings]] [[bogie|trucks]], which looked similar to those used on the Alco PA but were actually a different design. This drove up the cost as it required new foundry patterns. GE design a welded truck that could be fabricated at the Erie plant, and was fitted to a number of units for UP, KCS, and [[New York Central|NYC]]. However, most customers preferred the cast steel truck, and the engineering cost, jigs and fixtures and necessity for a second inventory meant that the fabricated truck design did not save money<ref name="Aldag1" />

The Erie-Builts soon ran into problems with the OP engine that had not been experienced in Navy service. The 38D 8-1/8 engine as configured for the Erie-Builts [[Mean_effective_pressure#Types_of_mean_effective_pressures|Brake Mean Effective Pressure]] of 95.2 psi, as opposed to the 85 psi rating for Navy engines and 77 to 86.7 for the EMD 567 as used in the E7, FT and [[EMD F3|F3]].<ref name="Aldag2">{{cite magazine |last=Aldag Jr. |first=Robert |date=April 1987 |title=F-M Against the Odds Part 2: Train Master Triumph, Speed Merchant Flop, OP Paradox |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Co.}}</ref> Submarines gave the engines access to cool, sea-level air, but on Western railroads like UP, the engines were operating under load at high altitude, high temperature, and low humidity, and often in the wake of waste heat from leading locomotives.<ref name="Aldag2" /> Locomotives had closed-loop cooling systems while submarines drew cooling water from the sea. No FM OP powered submarines used open loop cooling systems. Open loop cooling systems were discontinued prior to WWII. They did use a heat exchanger cooled by sea water, but it was still a closed system. The OP engine had no head, and its exhaust ports were uncovered by the lower pistons. This resulted in excessive lower-piston temperatures, and under heavy load this led to piston failure, which could then cause cylinder liner damage and a possible crankcase explosion.<ref name="Aldag2" /> F-M immediately attempted to address the problem but it was seven to eight years before a piston was developed that could stand up to railroad service.<ref name="Aldag2" />

Replacement of a single [[power assembly]] (cylinder liner and its two pistons) required moving the locomotive under a crane and removing (and later reinstalling) the locomotive's roof hatch, upper crankcase, upper [[Main bearing#Bearing_capsbearing|caps]], upper [[connecting rod]] caps, and upper crankshaft, making the operation much more time- and resource-intensive than a power assembly change on other engine types.<ref name="Aldag2" /> Fairbanks-Morse learned that in shops that maintained multiple locomotive types, where the foreman was under pressure to repair as many locomotives as possible, repair of OP engines that required extensive disassembly was often delayed in favor of other types of locomotives that could be turned around more quickly.<ref name="Aldag2" />

Owing to the inferior reliability and higher maintenance costs, several Erie-Builts, including four of NYC's eight freight Erie-Builts<ref name="Edson1">{{cite book |last=Edson |first=William D. |date=1995 |title=New York Central System Diesel Locomotives |publisher=TLC Publishing |page=82 |isbn=1-883089-16-6}}</ref> and eight of KCS Erie-builts were repowered with an [[EMD 567]] series diesel engine rated at {{convert|1750|hp|abbr=on}}. New York Central derated the OP engines in its six passenger Erie-Builts to {{convert|1750|hp|abbr=on}} by 1957.<ref>{{cite book |last=Edson |first=William D. |date=1995 |title=New York Central System Diesel Locomotives |publisher=TLC Publishing |page=106 |isbn=1-883089-16-6}}</ref>

F-M ceased production of the Erie-Built in 1949, due largely to the difficulty of building it at a profit. It was determined that even if production was moved to Beloit, the high cost of items like the GE 746 traction motor (which was more expensive than the GE 752 used by the Alco PA), the unique cast and fabricate trucks, a secondary electrical power system for radiator fans and traction motor blowers, and a secondary cooling system for the lube oil (a Navy requirement), made the Erie-Builts too expensive to build.<ref name="Aldag1" />

82 cab-equipped lead [[A unit]]s and 29 cabless booster [[B unit]]s were built for [[United States|American]] railroads between December 1945 and April 1949. Afterward, F-M continued to market dual service streamlined units under its [[FM Consolidated line|Consolidated line]] of locomotives, more commonly referred to as "C-liners".

No FM Erie-Built units are known to survive today.

==CP Rail use==
After their retirement, four former [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] Erie-built B unit hulks were sent to the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] where they were incorporated into a quasi-portable [[Track (rail transport)#Continuous_welded_rail|CWR]] rail welding plant located at [[Smiths Falls, Ontario]]. These units were painted in a unique paint scheme almost identical to the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]'s but with Canadian Pacific lettering; these units having been acquired immediately prior to the CPR adopting the red and white CP Rail multi-mark paint scheme. Around 1990, the CWR plant with the Erie-Built hulks were moved from Smiths Falls to a CP yard in the [[Transcona, Winnipeg|Transcona]] neighbourhood of [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]] in preparation for scrapping. Three sets of trucks from the Erie-Built hulks were salvaged and sent to Oregon, with two being placed under two truckless ex-[[Delaware and Hudson Railway|D&H]]/[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|ATSF]] [[ALCO PA|Alco-GE PA-1]]s that were returned from Mexico, while an unused spare set was stored and eventually scrapped. One Erie-built CWR car did avoid the initial scrapping of the plant in 1994 but was later scrapped separately in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/SmithsFallsRailWeldingPlant.html|title=CPR Smiths Falls Rail Welding Plant|first=|last=|date=April 24, 2018|work=Ottawa Railway History Circle}}</ref>

==Units produced==
===A units (cabs)===
{| class="wikitable"
! Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes
|-align="center"
|[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]
|2
|90, 90B
|
|-align="center"
|[[Chicago and North Western Railway]] subsidiary<br>[[Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway]]
|4
|6001A, 6001B, 6002A, 6002B
|
|-align="center"
|[[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]]
|14
|5A–9A, 5C–9C, 21A, 21B, 22A, 22B
| Renumbered 5A–14A, 11B–14B
|-align="center"
|[[Kansas City Southern Railway]]
|6
|60A, 60C, 61A, 61C, 62A, 62C
| 62A, 62C owned by subsidiary [[Louisiana and Arkansas Railway]].<br>All except 62C repowered by EMD.
|-align="center"
|[[New York Central Railroad]]
|12
|4400–4405, 5000–5005
|4400 series configured for passenger, 5000 series configured for freight.<br>5001, 5002, 5003 repowered with EMD 567 engines in 1957.<ref name="Edson1" />
|-align="center"
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]]
|36
|9456A–9491A
|
|-align="center"
|[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
|8
|700–707
| Renumbered 650–657 in 1955
|-
!Total !! 82 !! !!
|}

===B units (cabless boosters)===
{| class="wikitable"
! Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes
|-align="center"
|[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]
|1
|90A
|
|-align="center"
|[[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]]
|6
|5B–9B, 21C
| 21C renumbered 10B
|-align="center"
|[[Kansas City Southern Railway]]
|3
|60B, 61B, 62B
|62B owned by subsidiary [[Louisiana and Arkansas Railway]].<br>All repowered by EMD.
|-align="center"
|[[New York Central Railroad]]
|2
|5100–5101
|Both configured for freight. 5101 repowered with EMD 567 in 1957.<ref name="Edson1" />
|-align="center"
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]]
|12
|9456B–9478B (even numbers only)
|
|-align="center"
|[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
|5
|700B, 702B–704B, 706B
| Renumbered 650B, 652B–654B, 656B in 1955
|-
!Total !! 29 !! !!
|}

&nbsp; *Note: Union Pacific cab/booster/cab set 700 / 700B / 701 was originally [[Fairbanks-Morse]] demonstrator set 50-M-1A / 50-M-3B / 50-M-2A; became 981A / 983B / 982A in 1947, then 700 / 700B / 701 in 1948. Cab/booster sets 702 / 702B and 703 / 703B delivered as 984A / 986B and 985A / 987B.

==See also==
* [[ALCO PA]] and [[ALCO FA|FA]], styling of which was inspired by the Erie-built

==References==
{{reflist}}

* {{cite web|title=Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Engine|work=PSRM Diesel Locomotives|url=http://www.psrm.org/roster/diesel/fm/index.html|accessdate=January 1, 2006|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526222933/http://www.psrm.org/roster/diesel/fm/index.html|archivedate=May 26, 2006}}
* {{Dorin-North Western|page=157}}
* {{Pinkepank diesel spotters guide 2}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Kirkland
 | first = John F.
 | title = The Diesel Builders Volume 1: Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton
 |date=November 1985
 | publisher = Interurban Press
 | isbn = 0-916374-69-6
}}
* {{cite web| url=http://www.utahrails.net/ajkristopans/REPOWEREDLOCOMOTIVES.php| title=EMD Repowered Locomotives| website=UtahRails.net| date=September 12, 2014}} Dates and roadnumbers of EMD repowered Erie builts

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=Sweetland, David R.|year=1999|title=Erie-builts and H20-44s: Fairbanks-Morse's 2,000-Horsepower Pioneers|publisher=Withers Publishing, Halifax, PA|isbn=1-881411-22-2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_ErieBuilts.HTML Fairbanks-Morse Erie-Built Roster] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001024839/http://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_ErieBuilts.HTML |date=2006-10-01 }}

{{Fairbanks-Morse}}
{{FM diesels}}

[[Category:A1A-A1A locomotives]]
[[Category:Fairbanks-Morse locomotives|Erie-built]]
[[Category:Passenger locomotives]]
[[Category:Diesel locomotives of the United States]]
[[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1945]]
[[Category:Locomotives with cabless variants]]
[[Category:Scrapped locomotives]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States]]
[[Category:Streamlined diesel locomotives]]
[[Category:General Electric locomotives]]
[[Category:Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway locomotives]]
[[Category:Chicago and North Western Railway locomotives]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Road locomotives]]
[[Category:New York Central Railroad locomotives]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives]]
[[Category:Union Pacific Railroad locomotives]]