David Sweetland 88 pages softcover
During the development of the 1,000
HP switcher, FM officials knew that the company would have to produce a
road cab unit if it was going to make it in the locomotive business.
Engineers designed a road locomotive around a carbody style by
industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Since FM did not have a shop capacity
to build a large locomotive itself, it contracted that work to General
Electric, which produced the units at its Erie, PA plant, hence the name
"Erie-built". GE built 111 of the distinctive locomotives for Class 1
railroads across the country. With a 1,0000 hp switcher and a 2,000 hp
road cab unit, FM wanted to enter the roadswitcher market. During 1946,
the company's engineering team designs a 2,000 hp end cab unit named the
Heavy Duty unit. Few railroads saw the H20-44's potential and only 96
were sold to 5 customers.
