First Class Hand-Me-Downs |
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| Long-time friend Lloyd Judd was the only person that I personally knew who was a devout
Fairbanks-Morse fan, and it didn't matter what type of FM locomotive. If it was driven by an
opposed-piston prime mover, he was a fan. So you can imagine his delight in the Spring of 1969
when he encountered an FM Erie-build parked at the New York Central's West Detroit facilities.
The thing that made it so special . . . the last of the FM Erie-builts had gone to the scrap
yard a year earlier to ultimataely become automobile bumpers, frying pans, wheel barrows, etc.
For him, it was probably like being reunited with a long-last friend. The RAMX unit had won
a reprieve when purchased by Canada's Rail Maintenance Services. (By the way, would it not
be ironic if the trucks from this ex-FM locomotive were the ones used to help restore Doyle
McCormick's NKP PA1 #190. Still to be confirmed.)
Of the approximate 1350 locomotives that were once owned by Class 1 railroads (or their subsidiaries), less than two percent entered the used-locomotive market. FM's opposed-piston engine was most likely the reason - not because it was unreliable, but rather because it had many other applications. An attempt has been made here to identify FMs from class one railroads (and U.S. Army) that received a second chance in revenue service. (Lloyd Judd photo, R. Craig collection) | |
