Tales from the Rails - Fairbanks Morse Locomotive

[@scotteakins7203]

So glad that someone is trying to save these FM's loco's. Their such a big part of railroads forgotten history.

[@mow4ncry]

I run a FM at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, it's an H 12 44 built for the US Army in 53. We made it a clone of an SP unit # 1487 since there's only one surviving civilian H 12 44 left it's at a museum in Texas

[@ianisaacs2340]

It would truly make my heart sing to see it operational and pulling trains there at the museum!

[@rossbryan6102]

WORKING IN AT&SF SHOPS I WAS INVOLVED IN THE LAST OVERHAUL OF A SANTA FE FAIRBANKS, A MACHINIST APPRENTICE AT THAT TIME!! (1969) IN 1970,SUMMERTIME THE 560 WAS USED AS A SHOP SWITCHER AT THE DIESEL SHOP! I GOT TO RUN IT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THEN IT DISAPPEARED THAT MUST HAVE BEEN WHEN IT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE, COMPLETELY! KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!! 👍👍! BY THE WAY, MY PAINT VOTE IS FOR THE BLACK AND SILVER ZEBRA STRIPES!!!

[@rossbryan6102]

BY THE WAY AT THE TIME I RAN IT IT WAS IN THE BLUE AND YELLOW AND HAD BEEN PAINTED 2 OR 3 YEARS EARLIER!!

[@weekendminitoystruckcarclu4632]

What a beautiful peice of equipment and history.

[@UnknownIdaho]

Great to see these running, F-Ms were the main motive power on the San Francisco Peninsula Lines when I was a kid.

[@prsearls]

Love to hear those FM locomotives; their engines have a unique sound. Good luck on your restoration since this is a rare model.

[@geohig01]

Excellent description of the restoration and history! I love the yellow and blue, but money talks!

[@Romans--bo7br]

The Original - as delivered "zebra stripes" and black are a "natural" and very sharp looking on this locomotive.... much more so, than the ATSF blue & yellow paint scheme.

[@christopherblount6595]

This video brings back wonderful memories from my childhood. You see, I grew up in Vinton, Texas in a house within walking distance of the spur where Metal Processing was. Being a train nut from the tender age of three, I would always be roaming around the spur once my parents would let me venture out that far past our back yard. I made friends with all the train crews that ran the Santa Fe locals up into that spur (occasionally sneaking a ride on the locomotive and / or the caboose from time to time). I clearly remember when Metal Processing ran the '100' back in the 70s through the mid 80s. I also remember that they did have at least 3 other H12-44 on the property, one that was painted in a scheme for Border Steel, and the other two in a storage / dead line next to the MPI offices. The ones in the storage line where actually of Southern Pacific heritage as they where still in the faded SP gray and red paint. All three of those locomotive where gone by my teenage years in the 80s. I don't know their fate, but I would assume that they were scrapped. My final memory was when they side lined the 100. After hearing this video, it does not surprise me. My guess is the fuel pumps seized up and they dead lined it. At the time, they still had a couple of Alco RS locomotives (an RS1 and an RS3) of unknown heritage. I remember seeing the RS1 run maybe once or twice, and the RS3 was used regularly until I moved away for a several years. By the time I built a house on the very same property where I grew up (in the late 90s), Metal Processing had sold to Arcelormittal. Arcelor brought their own SW1 in for switch duty. I have no idea what became of the Alco locomotives, but I hope they where preserved. A final tidbit for this comment. Santa Fe Railroad was servicing the Metal Processing / Border Steel Spur rather late one afternoon in 1989. I just happened to be home working in the back yard that day they picked up the '100', loaded on a heavy flat car, to be shipped to the California Museum. I sure do wish I had a camera at the time to take some pictures, but 1989 was quite a few years before the dawn of the smartphone (or the digital camera for that matter) for the common man. Thanks for posting this video. I am happy to see that the old girl is finally going to get the happy life she finally deserves.

[@MilePost106]

Glad to see this locomotive being restored. This locomotive should be repainted back to the original owner the Santa Fe.

[@verdelldelap2195]

Did the layout and turned down the crankshafts for these model 38, 8 1/8 inch opposed piston two stroke engines for two years in the mid 70's in dept. 212 of the O.P. (Navy) building 0n Park St. in Beloit WI. They came in four to twelve cylinders, minus 7 and 11. A twelve cylinder Navy lower crank was just a tad under 17'3". Three TRIDENT twelve cylinder crank sets came through during that time. They would they would eventually be installed in the Ohio, Michigan, and Florida, the USA's largest submarines.

[@MrMikey4026]

FM engines have a very unique sound, too bad we can't hear it. I spent years as a USCG engineer operating a pair of 12 cylinder 38TD 8 1/8 engines.

[@sophornnmun3479]

Good video 👍 i Like with your video

[@corruptioninalaska817]

I metal detect in Fairbanks Alaska and have found several crazy looking engines with Fairbanks Morse on them

[@williamgottlieb8723]

If you haven't yet decided which paint scheme to use, paint one side with the zebra stripes and the other side with the later scheme.

[@rolandkiser7488]

I currently work at Fairbanks Morse Engine. I've heard stories and have seen some old photos.

[@andrewharrison9648]

What’s the story on the Trident? Is that project still alive?

[@mechanicman8687]

I’m a Waukesha mechanic with 30 years experience. I hope to find a retirement job like that

[@slymjim611]

Just an idea if you haven't already painted it. Have a fund raiser were people donate to thier favorite paint scheme from a list of schemes the museum agrees to go with. The paint scheme that raises the most money is what you paint it.

[@mathuetax]

1:16 anyone else start shrieking?

[@atsf855sanbernardinocounty85]

I for say put it back to ATSF yellow & blue colors it should ready as green to go for that.

[@draggonhedd]

I would love to see a cross between the two paint schemes. Do the Zebra stripe pattern with the santa fe colors.

[@ianisaacs2340]

That would be a rainbow of ugly 😂

[@amtk415w]

Any updates on this FM?

[@billrey8221]

Why is the gentleman whistling while he speaks? The music is distracting.

[@cdnrock7433]

That whistle while talking is kind of annoying. LOL

[@williamcanter3233]

Work for Fairbanks mores scales

[@scottwetter5090]

What was the specific designation of the engine?

[@briquetaverne]

The US has so many rail excesses in Railway material, I never understood why they don't don't donate some of their rolling stock to whole nations of the 3rd world instead of scrapping everything so at least these poorer nations have transportation systems that have some modernization to them.

[@trainandtruckmodeler786]

You might want to research Argentina, Peru, Brasil, and panama

[@ro6742]

Zebra Stripe definitely.

[@TrainTrackTrav]

My vote is for the 1970s blue and yellow. The as-delivered livery just doesn't really excite me.

[@danielfantino1714]

I never hear FM engine. Surprise it sound just like lounge music. Crews should have loved it. Don´t know if other models sound jazzy, or may be blues. Without engine oil, probably more like rap until engine died ?

[@Gracebeliever077]

1:16 That hurts to watch.