Locomotive #1 is a model H-12-44 constructed by Fairbanks-Morse in 1951. This
switcher-type locomotive has 1,200 horsepower, is geared for a top speed of
60 miles per
hour, and has a total weight of 246,000 pounds. It is fully operational and often
pulls excursion trains on the Snoqualmie
Valley Railroad.Fairbanks-Morse is
well known for its opposed piston diesel engines used in marine applications varying from
submarines to ferry boats. This same engine was used in a line of railroad
locomotives the company manufactured from the mid 1940's until 1963.
The #1 is a diesel-electric locomotive: a diesel
engine turns an electric generator and electric motors turn each axle. It has an air
compressor to supply an air brake system and has seating for two crew members.
When purchased new by Weyerhaeuser, the #1 was
used on the company's White River Branch to haul lumber from the White River Mill near
Enumclaw (WA) to an interchange with the Northern Pacific Railway (now BNSF but the tracks
have been torn up) and the Milwaukee Road (now abandoned). It directly replaced a
steam locomotive and did so because of its lower maintenance and operating costs.
The Northwest Railway Museum purchased the #1 in
1987.
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