Atlas 10005320 HO Scale FM H-15-44 Diesel Monon CIL 36 - DC
In the late 1940s, the design team at Fairbanks-Morse (FM) set out to develop an 8-cylinder 1,500-horsepower all-purpose road switcher using their opposed-piston diesel engine design. By September 1947 FM had produced the first H15-44 locomotive in the form of Demonstrator “FM 1500”. The hood-unit style body included distinctive features such as slightly sloped ends, rounded corners, oval cab-side windows and a raised, rounded headlight base on each end.
The first purchaser of the H15-44 was Monon, who quickly bought both the demonstrator and the second unit built in December 1947. Three units were then built for Rio Grande before additional demonstrators were produced later in 1948. Before production ended in mid-1949, a total of 35 units had been built, with Jersey Central owning the most units (14 total).
By 1950 other builders had increased the horsepower of their competing road switchers, and FM responded with the 8-cylinder 1,600-horsepower H16-44 model. The earliest units were externally very similar to the previous H15-44. MKT 1591 was initially ordered as an H15-44, but was upgraded to 1,600hp during production.
The first true production H16-44s were ordered by Jersey Central. Several large railroads purchased this model, including Santa Fe, New York Central, Southern and Pennsylvania. A total of 99 units would be produced before production of the “phase I” version ended in December 1952. FM continued to produce H16-44s with phase II and III body styles through 1963.
This model represents the “phase I” body style of both the H15-44 and H16-44 that was produced between 1947 and 1952. Options include FM or AAR truck side frames, high or low-mounted headlights, early or late-production phase 1 hoods and a removable fuel tank skirt.
Atlas Master Line locomotives and rolling stock are highly detailed models that faithfully recreate the prototype down to the paint scheme and even railroad-specific details. They are offered in two varieties--Atlas Master Silver and Atlas Master Gold. Atlas Master Silver locomotives are sound and DCC-ready, with the appropriate speaker and plugs so you can use whatever decoder you prefer. Atlas Master Gold locomotives are DCC and sound-equipped right out of the box, making them the perfect choice for those who don't want to deal with installing decoders.
FEATURES:
- Bi-directional red and green LED marker lamps that work in DCC and analog mode
- Realistic die-cast underframe
- Five-pole skewed armature motor with dual flywheels for optimum performance at all speeds
- Directional lighting
- Painted crew figures
- Separately-installed scale windshield wipers, fine scale handrails, coupler cut levers, trainline hoses & fuel tank skirt as appropriate by railroad
- Etched metal radiator grilles
- AAR-B or FM-style truck sideframes as appropriate by railroad
- NEW Metal couplers
- Atlas Master® Silver version is Sound Ready and equipped with speaker for easy conversion to DCC sound