O FM Trainmaster Diesel Lackawanna/3.0/Hi-Rail
Fairbanks Morse got into the locomotive business because itmade submarine engines. FM’s unique opposed-piston diesel enginepowered about half the U.S. Navy’s World War II submarine fleet anddeveloped a great reputation for reliability; the adaptation torailroad equipment during and after the war seemed like a naturaltransition.
In the opposed-piston motor, each cylinder had a piston ateither end and the combustion chamber in the middle. There were novalves or cylinder heads. Intake and exhaust occurred through holes inthe cylinder walls. The upper and lower banks of pistons each powered aseparate crankshaft, and the two crankshafts were linked together topower the locomotive. While this sounds like a complex way to build anengine, the O.P. diesel in fact had several advantages over aconventional motor: less moving parts, terrific acceleration, and aboutdouble the horsepower per cylinder.
In 1953 the O.P. engine reached its zenith in theTrainmaster. Introduced at the Railroad Manufacturers’ SupplyAssociation show that year, FM’s new locomotive took the show by storm.It was the most powerful single-motored diesel locomotive of its eraand had a brawny body to match its bold name. Emblazoned in brightyellow and red, four Trainmaster demonstrators barnstormed the countryand walked away with any consist the railroads threw at them. For onebrief moment, Fairbanks Morse looked like a contender.
Ultimately, however, the opposed-piston engine provedill-suited to locomotive use. The bone-jarring railroad environment wasmuch rougher on the motor than a submarine cushioned by an ocean. Thetop crankshaft proved prone to oil leakage. Perhaps most important,maintenance was a nightmare. Whereas a single bad cylinder in anElectro-Motive diesel could be accessed by pulling off one cylinderhead, a cylinder repair in an O.P. engine required removal of the topcrankshaft and removal or disconnection of the entire top bank ofcylinders – which also meant the roof of the locomotive had to comeoff. Ultimately, only 127 Trainmasters were sold to 11 U.S. andCanadian railroads.
In the world of O gauge railroading, however, the Trainmasterwas a hit from the moment it went on the market in the mid-1950’s. Theengine’s massive size and tremendous pulling power have made it one ofthe most-loved engines among 3-rail operators for nearly half acentury. The 2011 Premier Trainmaster has been created from all newtooling and comes complete with the digital sound, amazing slow speedcapability, and variable smoke output that make Proto-Sound 2.0 thebest sound and control system in model railroading. Unlike pastiterations of the Trainmaster from other model railroad companies, ourmodel’s tooling was designed to allow us to customize the modelaccording to each railroad’s prototype. In short, this will be the mostaccurate Trainmaster ever constructed for the O Gaugemarketplace.
