US Army #1856

Specifications

  • Built January 1953
  • Fairbanks-Morse Beloit, Wisconsin
  • Builder’s number 12L680
  • 1200 horsepower
  • 6 cylinder opposed piston engine

United States Army No. 1856 is a Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 locomotive built in 1953 as part of a group at a cost of $224,700 each. #1856 last served at the Oakland Army Terminal. It is a 1,200 horsepower 120 ton yard switcher. In 1944, Fairbanks-Morse entered the United States railroad locomotive market trading on their excellent reputation in diesel power plants for marine applications. Their locomotives used an unorthodox opposed-piston design engine. During the next nineteen years, F-M achieved limited acceptance and rated a distant fourth place in market share during a period when all major American railroads were replacing their steam locomotives with diesels. F-M left the locomotive market in 1963 and focused on other areas of its business.

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USA #1856 switches in Brightside yard in the summer of 2013 with sister former US-Army FM locomotive owned by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum repainted in SP paint in the background. – Photo by: C. R. Hauf – User with permission
USA #1856 switches in Brightside yard in the summer of 2013. – Photo by: C. R. Hauf – User with permission
#1856 starting up…

Take a cab tour of the #1856 in the 360 image.
Image courtesy of Chris Hauf – Used with permission