Talk:EMD FT

message: Just a historian's note here, but all GM locomotives built prior to 1941 were built by the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). The Electro-Motive Division (EMD) was formed on January 1, 1941 with the merger of the Winton Engine Company with EMC. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by SSW9389 (talk • contribs) 09:17, August 28, 2006.
Another thing, Added B-Unit to surviving ones, one of the two that EMD sent as a demonstration, is located at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia --Manokiller 14:36, 5 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, no.  The only survivor from the prototype is the A unit at St. Louis.  The four unit demonstrator went to SR but only the one A was saved.  The B unit that recently joined it is NOT from the original demo set.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.172.148.216 (talk) 01:45, 29 May 2015 (UTC)

message: In the immediate Post WW2 era EMD's Field Service Department issued the Field Service News. In Volume II No. 7 dated July 15, 1947 there is a definition of an FS unit. The FS was any combination of "A" and "B" units. 1350 HP per unit, 16-567 or 16-567A Engines.  Couplers and draft gears at both ends of all units. No links (drawbars).  FS locomotives differ basically from FT locomotives in the following respects: different underframe,  different end platforms, and each FS unit is equipped with couplers at both ends. FT locomotives are permanently linked between the "A" and "B" units and may be either coupled or linked between the "B" units of a four unit (5400 HP) locomotive. AT&SF, D&RGW, MP and the Southern are the only ones that have FS type locomotives.  This same information can be found on pages 62-63 of Trains Magazine May 1975 issue. 
 
The Cotton Belt also had eight units built in 1945 that were equipped with couplers on both ends. These units are not on the EMD Field Service News page, but appear to be identical to Santa Fe units of the time. The FS booster units were fitted with the 5th porthole and an operator's control station. FS and FTS A units would have couplers and stirrup steps at the rear. FS and FTS B units would have couplers and stirrup steps at the front.   
  
The FTS designation appears on Cotton Belt Folio cards and is used to describe FT units that have had their drawbars removed and turned into single units in 1955 and 1956. The FTS designation is also used in a table on page 1 by EMD in the Locomotive Reference Data dated January 1, 1959. --SSW9389 13:03, 25 January 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  EMD FS and FTS units 

message: The two original EMC FT booster units were equipped with steam generators while on the demonstration tour. The steam generators were removed before sale to Southern (CNO&TP) in May 1941. Santa Fe had Vapor- Clarkson CFK-4225 steam generators installed in booster units #167B,C when they were completed in February 1945. The Santa Fe #167 four unit set was built with 57:20 gearing good for 95 mph. A 300 gallon water tank was installed in the Santa Fe boosters and the normal space for a fuel tank was used for additional boiler water. Diesel fuel was piped from the A units to the booster units in the Santa passenger FTs. Additionally Santa Fe had 20 booster units equipped with steam generators in 1946 to dieselize passenger runs. These were the #158B,C - 166B,C and 168B,C. Rio Grande had 18 booster units equipped with steam generators #5432-5433, 5442-5443, 5452-5453, 5462-5463, 5472-5473, 5482-5483, 5492-5493, 5502-5503, and 5512-5513. Great Northern had two boosters equipped with steam generators #250B-251B. Seaboard Air Line had 22 boosters equipped with steam generators #4100-4121. The Great Northern, Rio Grande and Seaboard booster units were equipped with a 2500 pound per hour steam generator. Source of data EMD Service Department Locomotive Reference Data dated January 1, 1959. And Santa Fe data from Early Diesel Daze by John B. McCall. --SSW9389 17:19, 17 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Steam Generators

message: The best information on the meaning of the locomotive FT is in this linked article by Wallace Abbey. Wally Abbey was a long time railroad industry employee who worked in public relations for the Soo Line and later worked for Kalmbach Publishing. See Abbey's article about FTs here: https://utahrails.net/loconotes/emc-ft.php This article was originally posted to the Santa Fe Listserve in 2001. --SSW9389 (talk) 18:18, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Meaning of "FT"