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{{Short description|American manufacturing company}}
[[Image:FM Opposed Piston Engine print advertisement 4-17-50.jpg|thumb|250px|right|An April, 1950 print advertisement for Fairbanks-Morse opposed piston engines.]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
'''Fairbanks-Morse''', located in [[Beloit, Wisconsin]] has specialized in the manufacture of [[opposed piston engine|opposed piston]] diesel engines for [[U.S. Navy|United States Naval]] vessels and [[railroad]] [[locomotive]]s since 1932. The company also engaged in the building of diesel locomotives between 1944 and 1963. F-M is currently owned by [[EnPro Industries]], and now also manufactures a line of [[natural gas]] and [[Dual fuel]] powered engines and generators. Ironically, in addition to its own designs, F-M has now acquired the rights to manufacture variants of the "251" series engines originally designed by its one-time competitor [[ALCO]].
{{Infobox company
| name = Fairbanks, Morse & Company
| logo =
| logo_caption =
| image =
| image_caption =
| trading_name = <!-- d/b/a/, doing business as - if different from legal name above -->
| native_name = <!-- Company's name in home country language -->
| native_name_lang = <!-- Use ISO 639-2 code, e.g. "fr" for French. If there is more than one native name, in different languages, enter those names using {{tl|lang}}, instead. -->
| romanized =
| former type =
| type =
| traded_as =
| industry =
| fate = Purchased by [[Arcline Investment Management]] from [[EnPro Industries|Enpro Industries Inc.]] as of January 21, 2020
| predecessor = Fairbanks scales, Eclipse Windmill
| successor = Fairbanks Scales, Fairbanks Morse, Fairbanks Nijhuis
| foundation = [[St. Johnsbury, Vermont|Saint Johnsbury]], [[Vermont]], [[United States]] (1823)
| founder =
| defunct =
| location_city =
| location_country = United States
| locations = <!-- Number of locations, stores, offices, etc. -->
| area_served = World
| key_people =
| products = Scales, Windmills, Engines, Tractors, Radios, Pumps, Locomotives.
| production =
| services =
}}


'''Fairbanks, Morse and Company''' was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Founded in 1823 as a manufacturer of [[weighing scale|weighing scales]], it later diversified into pumps, [[engines]], [[windmills]], coffee grinders, [[radio]]s, farm [[tractors]], feed mills, [[locomotive]]s, and industrial supplies. It was purchased by the Penn-Texas conglomerate in 1958.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 5, 1957|title=Silberstein Sighting Penn-Texas Control Of Fairbanks Morse|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/03/05/archives/silberstein-sighting-penntexas-control-of-fairbanks-morse.html|access-date=May 27, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==History==
===Railroad locomotives===
Shortly after it won its first Navy contract, the company produced a 300 hp 5 x 6 engine that saw limited use in [[railcar]] applications on the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|B&O]], [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Milwaukee Road]], and a few other lines. Additionally, two of the 5 x 6s were placed in an experimental center cab [[switcher]] locomotive under development by the [[Reading Company|Reading Railroad]] (road #87, built in 1939 by the [[St. Louis Car Co.|St. Louis Car Company]], or SLCC, and scrapped in 1953). A 5 x 6 powered the plant switcher at F-M's manufacturing facility.


There are three separate corporate entities that could be considered successors to the company, none of which is a complete and direct descendant of the original company. All claim the heritage of Fairbanks Morse and Company:
In 1939, the SLCC placed F-M 800 hp 8 x 10 engines in six streamlined [[railcar]]s, which are known today as the [[FM OP800]]. In [[1944]], F-M began production of its own 1,000 hp [[classification yard|yard]] switcher, the [[FM H-10-44|H-10-44]]. [http://www.irm.org/pictures/600/760milw12.jpg Milwaukee Road #760] (originally delivered as #1802), the first Fairbanks&ndash;Morse locomotive constructed in their own plant, is now preserved and on display at the [[Illinois Railway Museum]]. F-M, like other locomotive producers, was subject to strict wartime restrictions regarding the number and type of ralroad-related products they could manufacture. Following [[World War II]], North American railways began phasing out their aging [[steam locomotive]]s and sought to replace them with state-of-the-art [[diesel locomotive]]s at an ever-increasing rate. Fairbanks-Morse, along with its competing firms, sought to capitalize on this new market opportunity. The [[Virginian Railway]] was an early advocate of FM power, buying the company's products to the exclusion of other manufacturers such as [[General Motors Electro-Motive Division|EMD]] and [[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]].
* Fairbanks Scales is a privately owned company in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], that manufactures scales
* [[Fairbanks Morse Defense]], a subsidiary company of [[Arcline Investment Management]], is a company based in [[Beloit, Wisconsin]], that manufactures and services engines<ref>{{Cite web |title=Investing in Critical Industries |url=https://arcline.com/ |access-date=July 9, 2024 |website=Arcline Investment Management |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Fairbanks Nijhuis is a part of [[Pentair]] Water in [[Kansas City, Kansas]], and manufactures pumps


==Founding and early history==
In December, 1945 F-M produced its first streamlined, cab-equipped dual service diesel locomotive as direct competition to such models as the [[ALCO PA]] and [[EMD E-unit]]. Assembly of the 2,000 hp unit, which was mounted on a [[AAR wheel arrangement#A1A-A1A|A1A-A1A]] wheelset, was subcontracted out to [[GE Transportation Systems|General Electric]] due to lack of space at F-M's Wisconsin plant. GE built the locomotives at its [[Erie, Pennsylvania]] facility, thereby giving rise to the name "Erie-built." F-M retained the services of renowned industrial designer [[Raymond Loewy]] to create a visually impressive carbody for the Erie-built. The line was only moderately successful, as a total of 82 cab and 28 booster units was sold through 1949, when production was ended. The Erie-built's successor was to be manufactured in Beloit and designed from the ground up; the result of this effort was the [[FM Consolidated line|Consolidated line]], or "C-liner" (one of the company's best-known products) which debuted in January, 1950.
[[Image:Fairbanks Morse Windmill 1004.jpg|thumb|right|Fairbanks-Morse windmill]]
Fairbanks Morse and Company began in 1823 when inventor [[Thaddeus Fairbanks]] opened an ironworks in [[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]], to manufacture two of his patented inventions: a cast iron [[plow]] and a heating stove. In 1829 he started a [[hemp]] dressing business for which he built the machinery. Though unsuccessful in fabricating for fiber factories, another of Morse's inventions, the platform scale, formed the basis for the later company. It was [[patent]]ed in June 1832, and a generation later, with his brother [[Erastus Fairbanks]], the E. & T. Fairbanks & Company was selling thousands of scales, first in the United States, later in [[Europe]], [[South America]], and [[Late Imperial China|Imperial China]]. Fairbanks scales won 63 medals over the years in international competition.{{fact|date=November 2023}}


In [[Wisconsin]], former missionary Leonard Wheeler designed a durable windmill for pumping water, the [[Eclipse windmill]].{{when|date=June 2021}} Wheeler set up shop in [[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]] just after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Soon half a million windmills dotted the landscape throughout the West and as far away as [[Australia]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} At about the same time, a Fairbanks & Company employee, [[Charles Hosmer Morse]], opened a Fairbanks office in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], from which he expanded the company's territory of operation and widened its product line. As part of this expansion, Morse brought Wheeler and his Eclipse Windmill pumps into business with the Fairbanks company.{{when|date=June 2021}} Morse later became a partner in the Fairbanks Company and by the end of the nineteenth century, it was known as Fairbanks Morse & Company and was headquartered in Chicago. Canadian and American cities had branch dealerships, with Fairbanks first coming to [[Montreal, Quebec]], Canada, in 1876 and later{{when|date=November 2023}} opening a factory there.
Orders for the C-liners were initially received from the [[New York Central]], followed by the [[Long Island Rail Road]], the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], the [[Milwaukee Road]] and the [[New Haven Railroad|New Haven]]. F-M design locomotives were also produced under license in [[Canada]] by the [[Canadian Locomotive Company]]. Orders to the CLC were also forthcoming in Canada from the [[Canadian Pacific Railway|Canadian Pacific]] and [[Canadian National Railway|Canadian National]] railways. However, accounts of mechanical unreliability and poor technical support soon began to emerge. It quickly became apparent that the 2,400 h.p. Westinghouse generators were prone to failure, and the F-M prime movers initially suffered from relatively poor piston life and proved difficult to maintain. Moreover, railroads were quickly moving away from the [[cab unit]] type, and standardizing on [[road-switcher]] designs, as offered by the competition in the form of the [[EMD GP7]] or the [[ALCO RS-3]].


==Market expansion==
By 1952, orders had dried up in the United States, with a total production run of only 99 units. The units proved relatively more popular in Canada, particularly with the CP, and orders continued there until 1955. Several variants were only ever produced by the Canadian Locomotive Company, and Canadian roads accepted a total of 66 units. However, Westinghouse had announced in [[1953]] that it was leaving the locomotive equipment market, in part because of the generator reliability issues in the F-M units. This development made continuing production of the C-liners impractical without a redesign, and since marketplace acceptance was already marginal, the decision was made to end production.
[[File:Petrol 2285332 310eb023.jpg|thumb|right|Fairbanks Morse Type T gas engine]]
In the late nineteenth century, business expanded in the [[Western United States]], as did the company's catalog. It grew to include [[typewriter]]s, [[hand truck]]s, railway [[velocipede]]s, pumps, tractors, and a variety of warehouse and bulk shipping tools. The company became an industrial supplier distributing complete "turn-key" systems: tools, plumbing, gauges, gaskets, parts, valves, and pipe. Its 1910 catalog contained over 800 pages.


The Fairbanks Morse Company began producing oil and [[naptha]] engines in the 1890s with the purchase of the Charter line of engines (the first commercially available gas engine). They had the idea that an engine could be used as backup power for when one of their [[Eclipse windmill]]s wasn't getting wind. The Fairbanks Morse gas engine became a success with farmers. Electricity generation and oilfield work also used these engines. Small lighting plants built by the company were also popular. Fairbanks Morse power plants evolved by burning [[kerosene]] in 1893, [[coal gas]] in 1905, then to [[semi-diesel engine]]s in 1913 and to full [[diesel engine]]s in 1924. The Model N was popular in stationary industrial applications. {{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}
With the [[FM Train Master|Train Master]] series, F-M continued production of their own road-switcher designs, but these also ultimately proved unsuccessful in the marketplace. In the end, Fairbanks-Morse (perhaps realizing it could not overcome the competitive advantage firms such as [[General Motors Electro-Motive Division|EMD]] enjoyed from having been able to manufacture and promote their [[EMD F-unit|F units]] and other road diesels during the [[World War II|War]] years) decided to leave the locomotive market. F-M sold its last locomotive in the U.S. in 1958, and shipped its final unit to [[Mexico]] in 1963.


In 1934, Fairbanks-Morse entered the [[radio]] business by acquiring the Audiola Radio Co. After a 1939 factory fire FM decided to exit the radio business. Fairbanks-Morse radios are well known for their colorfulness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=2394|title=Fairbanks, Morse & Co.; Chicago manufacturer in USA, Model T}}</ref> The company also had brief forays into building [[automobile]]s, [[tractor]]s, [[corn sheller]]s, [[hammermill]]s, [[crane (railroad)|crane]]s, [[televisions]], and [[refrigerator]]s, but output was small in these fields.
===Seagoing diesel engines===
[[Image:Opposed_piston_engine_1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Fairbanks-Morse [[opposed piston]] [[diesel engine]]s on the submarine ''[[USS Pampanito]]''.]]
Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines are widely used in [[United States Navy|United States Naval]] vessels.


After the expiration of [[Rudolf Diesel]]'s American license in 1912, Fairbanks Morse (FM) entered the large engine business. The company's larger Model Y semi-diesel became a standard workhorse, and sugar, rice, timber, and mine mills used the engine. The model Y was available in sizes from one through six cylinders, or 10 to {{convert|200|hp}}. The Y-VA engine was the first high-compression, cold-start, full diesel developed by Fairbanks Morse without the acquisition of any foreign patent. This machine was developed in Beloit and introduced in 1924. The company expanded its line to the marine CO engine (Many 100 H.P. CO marine engines were used in the Philippine Islands to power ferry boats) as well as the mill model E, a modernized Y diesel. From this, Fairbanks-Morse became a major engine manufacturer and developed plants for [[railway]] and marine applications. The development of the [[diesel locomotive]], tug, and ship in the 1930s fostered the expansion of the company.
==References==

* {{Web reference|title=Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Engine|work=PSRM Diesel Locomotives|URL=http://www.psrm.org/roster/diesel/fm/index.html|date=January 1|year=2006}}
=="Z" Engine Line==
* {{Book reference|Author=Pinkepank, Jerry A.|Title=The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide|Publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI|Year=1973|ID=ISBN 0-89024-026-4}}
Fairbanks-Morse renamed their [[headless engine|headless]] {{convert|1.5|hp}} Model to "Z" in July 1914, according to engine historian C.H. Wendel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grenning |first1=Wayne |title=Timeline of the Fairbanks-Morse Z Engine |url=https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-engines/gas-engines-company-history/fairbanks-morse-z-engines-zm0z18aszhur |website=Gas Engine Magazine |access-date=March 27, 2020 |date=2018 |quote=Wayne appreciates that in his youthful exuberance [in his original 'Gas Engine Magazine' article from 1981] he may have gotten a few facts wrong, chiefly the introduction of the Z series, which he dated to September 1916: It’s believed to have been introduced two years earlier, in July 1914.}}</ref> On all "Z" engines the gasoline tank is located in the base. In 1917, they expanded the line to include more sizes. In 1918, they stopped making headless models and adapted the 1.5 H.P. to have a head, and larger H.P. engines could now run on Kerosene. In 1928 The "Z" style "D" was introduced, and was entirely enclosed.<ref name="Z engine Article">{{cite web|url=https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-engines/the-technical-history-of-the-fairbanks-morse |title=Fairbanks Morse Z technical history (not totally accurate)|first=Fairbanks|last=Morse|website=gasenginemagazine.com|date=July 1981}}</ref><ref name="3 HP Z Article">{{cite web|url=https://www.old-engine.com/fairbank.htm |title=Fairbanks Morse and Company 1918 |first=Fairbanks|last=Morse|website=old-engine.com}}</ref> The Z was made in incremental sizes of 3, 6, 12, 15 and up to {{convert|20|hp}}. Over a half million units were produced in the following 30 years. In the early 1980s the line was sold off to Bell. The model Z found favor with farmers, and is a collectable today.

[[File:Z Headless ad.png|thumb|Advertisement for 1916 "Z" engine]]

==Marine diesel engines==
[[File:Opposed piston engine 1.jpg|thumb|right|Fairbanks-Morse [[opposed piston]] [[diesel engine]]s on the WWII submarine {{USS|Pampanito|SS-383}} (on display in San Francisco).]]
During [[World War I]], a large order of 60 30 H.P. CO marine engines were installed in British decoy fishing ships to lure German submarines within range of their 6" naval guns. In 1939 Fairbanks-Morse developed a marine engine using an unusual [[opposed piston]] (OP) design, similar in arrangement to a [[Junkers Jumo 205|series of German Junkers aircraft diesels]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History|publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]]|year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|pages=263|isbn=1-55750-263-3}}</ref> The most common variant for submarines through the 1990s was the [[Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engine|38D 8-1/8 engine]], ranging from 4 to 12 cylinders. This engine was delivered to the U.S. Navy in large numbers, often for use in fleet submarines, which used 9- or 10-cylinder versions as main engines in [[World War II]].<ref name=Pinkepank(73)>{{cite book|last=Pinkpank|first=Jerry A|title=The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide|year=1973|publisher=Kalmbach Books|lccn=66-22894|pages=323}}</ref><ref name="Jane’s(98)">{{cite book|year=1998|title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II|publisher=Crescent Books (Random House)|page=[https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/290 290]|isbn=0517-67963-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/290}}</ref><ref name="NavSource SS 230">{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08230.htm|title=NavSource USS ''Finback'' SS-230|work=Photographic History of the U.S. Navy|publisher=NavSource Naval History|access-date=2013-03-03}}</ref><ref name=TugFM>{{cite web |title=Fairbanks-Morse Company |url=http://www.tugboatenthusiastsociety.org/pages/tugmach-diesel-modern-FM.htm |work=Marine Diesel Engines |publisher=Tugboat Enthusiasts Society of the Americas |access-date=2013-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221080403/http://www.tugboatenthusiastsociety.org/pages/tugmach-diesel-modern-FM.htm |archive-date=2013-02-21 }}</ref> When the innovative but faulty [[Electro-Motive Diesel#EMD "pancake" diesels|EMD 16-338 "pancake" engines]] of the {{sclass|Tang|submarine|4}} proved unworkable, they were replaced with World War II-style Fairbanks-Morse engines, and these remained standard on US diesel-powered submarines through the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gardiner|first=Robert|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995|publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]]|year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|pages=603|isbn=1-55750-132-7}}</ref> These and other Fairbanks-Morse OP engines were also used as backup power on US [[nuclear submarine]]s through the {{sclass|Seawolf|submarine|4}} of the 1990s. Fairbanks-Morse ranked 60th among United States corporations in the value of [[World War II]] military production contracts.<ref>[[Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|Peck, Merton J.]] & [[Frederic M. Scherer|Scherer, Frederic M.]] ''The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis'' (1962) [[Harvard Business School]] p.619</ref> The [[US Navy]] has had Fairbanks-Morse diesels in operation on its submarines almost continuously since 1938.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} They remain in service on {{sclass|Los Angeles|submarine|5}}-, ''Seawolf''-, and {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|0}} nuclear submarines of the [[US Navy]].{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} In addition to OP engines (used in the [[Hamilton-class cutter|USCGC ''Hamilton'' class]]), Fairbanks-Morse license builds [[SEMT Pielstick|Pielstick]] (used in the {{sclass|Whidbey Island|dock landing ship|1}}s and {{sclass|San Antonio|amphibious transport dock|1}}s), [[American Locomotive Company|Alco]] (used in {{USCGC|Polar Sea|WAGB-11|6}}), and [[MAN SE|M.A.N.]] design engines.<ref name="TugFM" /><ref name="NavSource LSD-41">{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/12/1241.htm|title=NavSource USS ''Whidbey Island'' LSD 41|work=Photographic History of the U.S. Navy|publisher=NavSource Naval History|access-date=March 4, 2013}}</ref>

Other World War II era models are the 875&nbsp;hp 5-cylinder '''Model 37E16''' installed in some [[T1 tanker]]s.

==Railroad locomotives==
[[Image:CPR 8909, a Canadian Locomotive Company H-24-66 Train Master.JPG|thumb|left|Canadian Locomotive Company "[[FM H-24-66|Train Master]]", 1953]]
Shortly after it won its first U.S. Navy contract, the company introduced its {{convert|5|in|cm}} bore by {{convert|6|in|cm}} stroke opposed piston diesel to the rail industry, installing the engine in various self-propelled railcars.<ref name="l85">Lamb, p. 85</ref> This engine proved unreliable, and was superseded by a larger 5-cylinder {{convert|8|in|cm}} bore by {{convert|10|in|cm}} stroke engine that produced 800 hp and was installed in the [[FM OP800|OP800]] railcars in 1939.<ref name="l85"/>

In 1935, F-M launched a long-term plan to build locomotives in-house. It hired electrical engineer John K. Stotz from [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] and began developing plans for a 1,000 hp switcher and a 2,000 hp multipurpose locomotive.<ref name="l85"/> While the company was ready to begin production of the units in 1940, the [[War Production Board]] (WPB) denied it permission, citing the national interest of F-M's production of submarine engines and a locomotive market supplied by existing manufacturers.<ref name="l85"/> In 1943, the WPB approved F-M's plans to sell locomotives, and it introduced the 1,000 hp switcher [[FM H-10-44|H-10-44]] in 1944, followed by the 2,000 hp cab unit, dubbed the [[FM Erie-built|Erie-built]] for its outsourced assembly location, in late 1945.<ref name="l85"/> The early locomotives soon proved unreliable, as high-stress railroad service exposed weaknesses in the engine that had not been seen in less demanding marine applications.<ref name="l88">Lamb, p. 88</ref> In 1947, F-M reorganized its locomotive division, hiring new managers and building a dedicated factory the following year.<ref name="l88"/>

In 1947, F-M introduced two new road switcher models, the 1,500 hp [[FM H-15-44|H-15-44]] and the 2,000 hp [[FM H-20-44|H-20-44]].<ref name="l96">Lamb, p. 96</ref> In late 1949, the company's new cab units, named the [[FM Consolidated line|Consolidated Line]], were introduced to replace the Erie-builts in its catalog.<ref name="l88"/> None of the late-1940s models sold as well as competing units from [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] and [[American Locomotive Company|Alco]], and the Consolidated Line fared particularly poorly as cab units fell out of favor on American railroads.<ref name="l96"/><ref name="l88"/> In 1951 F-M began designing a new large locomotive, and in 1953 it introduced the 2,400 hp [[FM H-24-66|H-24-66 Train Master]], then the highest-powered locomotive available.<ref name="l99">Lamb, p. 99</ref> It also proved unpopular. In 1956, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] ordered three specialized units, based on the H12-44, for terminal switching in Chicago's [[Dearborn Station]]: the H12-44TS ("TS" for "Terminal Switcher"). They remained in service until the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lustig|first=David|title=Fairbanks-Morse H12-44TS locomotive: A special diesel for a special job|date=April 1, 2023|url=https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/locomotives/fairbanks-morse-h12-44ts-locomotive-a-special-diesel-for-a-special-job/|publisher=[[Kalmbach Media|Kalmbach]]}}</ref>

In 1958, F-M built its last locomotive for the American market, followed in 1963 by its final delivery to a Mexican customer.<ref name="l99"/> In total, it sold 1,460 diesel locomotives.<ref name="l99"/>

==Post-war power products==
Fairbanks Morse continued to build diesel and gas engines, as it had been doing for the first half of the twentieth century. This is in addition to the pump and engine division, which produced Canadian Fairbanks Morse-branded products for farms, factories and mines.

Export offices were established in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires; a factory was opened in Mexico, where model Z engines were built well into the 1980s. An Australian branch factory, similar to the Canadian Branch operation, was opened; remote sheep stations benefited from their products. It dated from 1902, when Cooper Sheep Shearing Machinery Ltd was set up in Sydney, and became an agent for Fairbanks Morse in that hemisphere.

[[Image:Fairbanks-Morse-Warehouse.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fairbanks-Morse Building (Saskatoon)|Fairbanks-Morse warehouse, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]]]
The company sold and updated the Eclipse model of windmill pumps in North America until they became obsolete with widespread rural electrification in the 1940s. Low-cost electricity from the grid eliminated the need for local power production by small and medium diesel plants. While many Fairbanks Morse engines dutifully served into the late twentieth century, they could not compete with modernization, regional plant closures, and electricity.

An inter-family feud for control of the company in 1956 between the sons of Charles Morse weakened the company. Consequently, Fairbanks-Morse was merged with Penn-Western in 1958. The downhill slide continued for the next few decades, with assets being sold off, and branches of the company closed. Regional sales offices were closed, and the one-shop model no longer appealed to buyers in the new consumer age. Automakers, tractor makers, and locomotive builders made inroads into Fairbanks-Morse's market share. Thus the company spiraled down, and was sold.

==Corporate disposition==
Fairbanks Morse and Company merged with Penn-Texas Corporation in 1958 to form Fairbanks Whitney Corporation. Fairbanks Whitney was reorganized as Colt Industries in 1964, taking the name from Colt Manufacturing, the maker of firearms and an asset of Penn-Texas. In 1988, the Fairbanks Morse Pump division was sold off to private investors to become Fairbanks Morse Pump. It was subsequently purchased by [[Pentair]] as part of an acquisition of General Signal Pump Group in 1997. In 1988, the scale business was sold off by Colt Industries and became Fairbanks Scales, still an independent company.

In 1990, Colt Industries sold its firearms business to C.F. Holdings Corp as [[Colt's Manufacturing Company]], Inc. and became Coltec Industries, Inc., which later became a subsidiary of [[EnPro Industries|EnPro Industires, Inc.]] EnPro was then the parent company of Fairbanks Morse Engine until January 21, 2020, when Fairbanks Morse was sold to [[Arcline Investment Management]].

As a result, there are now three companies using either the Fairbanks or Fairbanks Morse trademarks, with lineage to the original Fairbanks Morse and Company. Fairbanks Scale and Fairbanks Morse Pump claim lineage back to E & T Fairbanks Company.

==Modern descendants==
* In the 1990s, '''Fairbanks Morse''' merged with [[ALCO]] to make the FM | ALCO line. In October 2013, FM signed a joint development and licensing agreement with [[Achates Power]] to reduce emissions and fuel consumption of Fairbanks Morse proprietary and dual-fuel opposed-piston engines.<ref>Zoia, David (January 2, 2014) “Achates Finding Traction with Opposed-Piston Engine”, WardsAuto.com</ref> The opposed-piston (OP) diesel engine once made by Fairbanks-Morse is still (August 2019) manufactured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fairbanksmorse.com/trident-op|title=Fairbanks Morse - Trident OP™|first=Fairbanks|last=Morse|website=www.fairbanksmorse.com|access-date=August 17, 2018|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052151/https://www.fairbanksmorse.com/trident-op|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also, Fairbanks-Morse still (November 2021) manufactures large four-stroke diesel engines such as the FM 48/60 CR series, which ranges from 7,200 to 19,200 kWm in output.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fairbanksmorse.com/48-60-cr|title=Fairbanks Morse - FM 48/60 CR}}</ref>
* '''Fairbanks Scales''' has dropped the Morse from the name as most scales made by FM had.
* '''Fairbanks Nijhuis''' makes pumps.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[List of Fairbanks-Morse locomotives]]
* [[List of Fairbanks-Morse locomotives]]
* [[Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engine]]
* [[Fairbanks Morse Defense]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book | title=Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive | publisher=Indiana University Press | author=Lamb, J. Parker | year=2007 | location=Bloomington, IN | isbn=978-0-253-34863-0}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|title=Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Locomotive |work=PSRM Diesel Locomotives |url=http://www.psrm.org/index.php/trains/diesel/1361 |access-date=October 25, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025084103/http://www.psrm.org/index.php/trains/diesel/1361 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 }}
* {{cite book|author=Pinkepank, Jerry A.|title=The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide|publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI|year=1973|isbn=0-89024-026-4}}
* {{cite book|author=Wendel, C.H.|title=Fairbanks Morse: 100 Years of Engine Technology (reprint)|publisher=Stemgas Publishing Co., Lancaster, PA|year=1993}}
* {{cite book|author=Wendel, C.H.|title=Power in the Past, Vol. 2; A History of Fairbanks-Morse and Co. (reprint)|publisher=Stemgas Publishing Co., Lancaster, PA|year=1987}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/ Fairbanks-Morse] official website
* [http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/ Fairbanks Morse website]
*{{HAER |survey=VT-1 |id=vt0011 |title=E. & T. Fairbanks & Company Factory, Sleepers River, Saint Johnsbury, Caledonia County, VT |photos=4 |data=1 |cap=1}}
*{{HAER |survey=VT-1-A |id=vt0012 |title=E. & T. Fairbanks & Company, Two-Story Covered Bridge |photos=15 |dwgs=2 |data=2 |cap=1 |link=no}}


{{Fairbanks-Morse}}
{{NA Loco builders}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Fairbanks-Morse| ]]
{{US-rail-stub}}
[[Category:Locomotive manufacturers]]
[[Category:Locomotive manufacturers of the United States| ]]
[[Category:Beloit, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1823]]
[[Category:Electrical generation engine manufacturers]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Vermont]]
[[Category:Defunct locomotive manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gas engine manufacturers]]
[[Category:Diesel engine manufacturers]]
[[Category:Locomotive engine manufacturers]]
[[Category:Marine engine manufacturers]]
[[Category:Pump manufacturers]]
[[Category:Two-stroke diesel engines]]
[[Category:Opposed piston engines]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1823]]
[[Category:Engine manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Fairbanks family| ]]

Revision as of 12:59, 20 August 2024

Fairbanks, Morse & Company
PredecessorFairbanks scales, Eclipse Windmill
FoundedSaint Johnsbury, Vermont, United States (1823)
FatePurchased by Arcline Investment Management from Enpro Industries Inc. as of January 21, 2020
SuccessorFairbanks Scales, Fairbanks Morse, Fairbanks Nijhuis
Headquarters
United States
Area served
World
ProductsScales, Windmills, Engines, Tractors, Radios, Pumps, Locomotives.

Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Founded in 1823 as a manufacturer of weighing scales, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, radios, farm tractors, feed mills, locomotives, and industrial supplies. It was purchased by the Penn-Texas conglomerate in 1958.[1]

There are three separate corporate entities that could be considered successors to the company, none of which is a complete and direct descendant of the original company. All claim the heritage of Fairbanks Morse and Company:

Founding and early history

Fairbanks-Morse windmill

Fairbanks Morse and Company began in 1823 when inventor Thaddeus Fairbanks opened an ironworks in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, to manufacture two of his patented inventions: a cast iron plow and a heating stove. In 1829 he started a hemp dressing business for which he built the machinery. Though unsuccessful in fabricating for fiber factories, another of Morse's inventions, the platform scale, formed the basis for the later company. It was patented in June 1832, and a generation later, with his brother Erastus Fairbanks, the E. & T. Fairbanks & Company was selling thousands of scales, first in the United States, later in Europe, South America, and Imperial China. Fairbanks scales won 63 medals over the years in international competition.[citation needed]

In Wisconsin, former missionary Leonard Wheeler designed a durable windmill for pumping water, the Eclipse windmill.[when?] Wheeler set up shop in Beloit just after the Civil War. Soon half a million windmills dotted the landscape throughout the West and as far away as Australia.[citation needed] At about the same time, a Fairbanks & Company employee, Charles Hosmer Morse, opened a Fairbanks office in Chicago, from which he expanded the company's territory of operation and widened its product line. As part of this expansion, Morse brought Wheeler and his Eclipse Windmill pumps into business with the Fairbanks company.[when?] Morse later became a partner in the Fairbanks Company and by the end of the nineteenth century, it was known as Fairbanks Morse & Company and was headquartered in Chicago. Canadian and American cities had branch dealerships, with Fairbanks first coming to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1876 and later[when?] opening a factory there.

Market expansion

Fairbanks Morse Type T gas engine

In the late nineteenth century, business expanded in the Western United States, as did the company's catalog. It grew to include typewriters, hand trucks, railway velocipedes, pumps, tractors, and a variety of warehouse and bulk shipping tools. The company became an industrial supplier distributing complete "turn-key" systems: tools, plumbing, gauges, gaskets, parts, valves, and pipe. Its 1910 catalog contained over 800 pages.

The Fairbanks Morse Company began producing oil and naptha engines in the 1890s with the purchase of the Charter line of engines (the first commercially available gas engine). They had the idea that an engine could be used as backup power for when one of their Eclipse windmills wasn't getting wind. The Fairbanks Morse gas engine became a success with farmers. Electricity generation and oilfield work also used these engines. Small lighting plants built by the company were also popular. Fairbanks Morse power plants evolved by burning kerosene in 1893, coal gas in 1905, then to semi-diesel engines in 1913 and to full diesel engines in 1924. The Model N was popular in stationary industrial applications. [citation needed]

In 1934, Fairbanks-Morse entered the radio business by acquiring the Audiola Radio Co. After a 1939 factory fire FM decided to exit the radio business. Fairbanks-Morse radios are well known for their colorfulness.[3] The company also had brief forays into building automobiles, tractors, corn shellers, hammermills, cranes, televisions, and refrigerators, but output was small in these fields.

After the expiration of Rudolf Diesel's American license in 1912, Fairbanks Morse (FM) entered the large engine business. The company's larger Model Y semi-diesel became a standard workhorse, and sugar, rice, timber, and mine mills used the engine. The model Y was available in sizes from one through six cylinders, or 10 to 200 horsepower (150 kW). The Y-VA engine was the first high-compression, cold-start, full diesel developed by Fairbanks Morse without the acquisition of any foreign patent. This machine was developed in Beloit and introduced in 1924. The company expanded its line to the marine CO engine (Many 100 H.P. CO marine engines were used in the Philippine Islands to power ferry boats) as well as the mill model E, a modernized Y diesel. From this, Fairbanks-Morse became a major engine manufacturer and developed plants for railway and marine applications. The development of the diesel locomotive, tug, and ship in the 1930s fostered the expansion of the company.

"Z" Engine Line

Fairbanks-Morse renamed their headless 1.5 horsepower (1.1 kW) Model to "Z" in July 1914, according to engine historian C.H. Wendel.[4] On all "Z" engines the gasoline tank is located in the base. In 1917, they expanded the line to include more sizes. In 1918, they stopped making headless models and adapted the 1.5 H.P. to have a head, and larger H.P. engines could now run on Kerosene. In 1928 The "Z" style "D" was introduced, and was entirely enclosed.[5][6] The Z was made in incremental sizes of 3, 6, 12, 15 and up to 20 horsepower (15 kW). Over a half million units were produced in the following 30 years. In the early 1980s the line was sold off to Bell. The model Z found favor with farmers, and is a collectable today.

Advertisement for 1916 "Z" engine

Marine diesel engines

Fairbanks-Morse opposed piston diesel engines on the WWII submarine USS Pampanito (SS-383) (on display in San Francisco).

During World War I, a large order of 60 30 H.P. CO marine engines were installed in British decoy fishing ships to lure German submarines within range of their 6" naval guns. In 1939 Fairbanks-Morse developed a marine engine using an unusual opposed piston (OP) design, similar in arrangement to a series of German Junkers aircraft diesels.[7] The most common variant for submarines through the 1990s was the 38D 8-1/8 engine, ranging from 4 to 12 cylinders. This engine was delivered to the U.S. Navy in large numbers, often for use in fleet submarines, which used 9- or 10-cylinder versions as main engines in World War II.[8][9][10][11] When the innovative but faulty EMD 16-338 "pancake" engines of the Tang class proved unworkable, they were replaced with World War II-style Fairbanks-Morse engines, and these remained standard on US diesel-powered submarines through the early 1960s.[12] These and other Fairbanks-Morse OP engines were also used as backup power on US nuclear submarines through the Seawolf class of the 1990s. Fairbanks-Morse ranked 60th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.[13] The US Navy has had Fairbanks-Morse diesels in operation on its submarines almost continuously since 1938.[citation needed] They remain in service on Los Angeles-, Seawolf-, and Ohio-class nuclear submarines of the US Navy.[citation needed] In addition to OP engines (used in the USCGC Hamilton class), Fairbanks-Morse license builds Pielstick (used in the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships and San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks), Alco (used in USCGC Polar Sea), and M.A.N. design engines.[11][14]

Other World War II era models are the 875 hp 5-cylinder Model 37E16 installed in some T1 tankers.

Railroad locomotives

Canadian Locomotive Company "Train Master", 1953

Shortly after it won its first U.S. Navy contract, the company introduced its 5 inches (13 cm) bore by 6 inches (15 cm) stroke opposed piston diesel to the rail industry, installing the engine in various self-propelled railcars.[15] This engine proved unreliable, and was superseded by a larger 5-cylinder 8 inches (20 cm) bore by 10 inches (25 cm) stroke engine that produced 800 hp and was installed in the OP800 railcars in 1939.[15]

In 1935, F-M launched a long-term plan to build locomotives in-house. It hired electrical engineer John K. Stotz from Westinghouse Electric Corporation and began developing plans for a 1,000 hp switcher and a 2,000 hp multipurpose locomotive.[15] While the company was ready to begin production of the units in 1940, the War Production Board (WPB) denied it permission, citing the national interest of F-M's production of submarine engines and a locomotive market supplied by existing manufacturers.[15] In 1943, the WPB approved F-M's plans to sell locomotives, and it introduced the 1,000 hp switcher H-10-44 in 1944, followed by the 2,000 hp cab unit, dubbed the Erie-built for its outsourced assembly location, in late 1945.[15] The early locomotives soon proved unreliable, as high-stress railroad service exposed weaknesses in the engine that had not been seen in less demanding marine applications.[16] In 1947, F-M reorganized its locomotive division, hiring new managers and building a dedicated factory the following year.[16]

In 1947, F-M introduced two new road switcher models, the 1,500 hp H-15-44 and the 2,000 hp H-20-44.[17] In late 1949, the company's new cab units, named the Consolidated Line, were introduced to replace the Erie-builts in its catalog.[16] None of the late-1940s models sold as well as competing units from EMD and Alco, and the Consolidated Line fared particularly poorly as cab units fell out of favor on American railroads.[17][16] In 1951 F-M began designing a new large locomotive, and in 1953 it introduced the 2,400 hp H-24-66 Train Master, then the highest-powered locomotive available.[18] It also proved unpopular. In 1956, the Santa Fe ordered three specialized units, based on the H12-44, for terminal switching in Chicago's Dearborn Station: the H12-44TS ("TS" for "Terminal Switcher"). They remained in service until the early 1970s.[19]

In 1958, F-M built its last locomotive for the American market, followed in 1963 by its final delivery to a Mexican customer.[18] In total, it sold 1,460 diesel locomotives.[18]

Post-war power products

Fairbanks Morse continued to build diesel and gas engines, as it had been doing for the first half of the twentieth century. This is in addition to the pump and engine division, which produced Canadian Fairbanks Morse-branded products for farms, factories and mines.

Export offices were established in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires; a factory was opened in Mexico, where model Z engines were built well into the 1980s. An Australian branch factory, similar to the Canadian Branch operation, was opened; remote sheep stations benefited from their products. It dated from 1902, when Cooper Sheep Shearing Machinery Ltd was set up in Sydney, and became an agent for Fairbanks Morse in that hemisphere.

Fairbanks-Morse warehouse, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The company sold and updated the Eclipse model of windmill pumps in North America until they became obsolete with widespread rural electrification in the 1940s. Low-cost electricity from the grid eliminated the need for local power production by small and medium diesel plants. While many Fairbanks Morse engines dutifully served into the late twentieth century, they could not compete with modernization, regional plant closures, and electricity.

An inter-family feud for control of the company in 1956 between the sons of Charles Morse weakened the company. Consequently, Fairbanks-Morse was merged with Penn-Western in 1958. The downhill slide continued for the next few decades, with assets being sold off, and branches of the company closed. Regional sales offices were closed, and the one-shop model no longer appealed to buyers in the new consumer age. Automakers, tractor makers, and locomotive builders made inroads into Fairbanks-Morse's market share. Thus the company spiraled down, and was sold.

Corporate disposition

Fairbanks Morse and Company merged with Penn-Texas Corporation in 1958 to form Fairbanks Whitney Corporation. Fairbanks Whitney was reorganized as Colt Industries in 1964, taking the name from Colt Manufacturing, the maker of firearms and an asset of Penn-Texas. In 1988, the Fairbanks Morse Pump division was sold off to private investors to become Fairbanks Morse Pump. It was subsequently purchased by Pentair as part of an acquisition of General Signal Pump Group in 1997. In 1988, the scale business was sold off by Colt Industries and became Fairbanks Scales, still an independent company.

In 1990, Colt Industries sold its firearms business to C.F. Holdings Corp as Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. and became Coltec Industries, Inc., which later became a subsidiary of EnPro Industires, Inc. EnPro was then the parent company of Fairbanks Morse Engine until January 21, 2020, when Fairbanks Morse was sold to Arcline Investment Management.

As a result, there are now three companies using either the Fairbanks or Fairbanks Morse trademarks, with lineage to the original Fairbanks Morse and Company. Fairbanks Scale and Fairbanks Morse Pump claim lineage back to E & T Fairbanks Company.

Modern descendants

  • In the 1990s, Fairbanks Morse merged with ALCO to make the FM | ALCO line. In October 2013, FM signed a joint development and licensing agreement with Achates Power to reduce emissions and fuel consumption of Fairbanks Morse proprietary and dual-fuel opposed-piston engines.[20] The opposed-piston (OP) diesel engine once made by Fairbanks-Morse is still (August 2019) manufactured.[21] Also, Fairbanks-Morse still (November 2021) manufactures large four-stroke diesel engines such as the FM 48/60 CR series, which ranges from 7,200 to 19,200 kWm in output.[22]
  • Fairbanks Scales has dropped the Morse from the name as most scales made by FM had.
  • Fairbanks Nijhuis makes pumps.

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Silberstein Sighting Penn-Texas Control Of Fairbanks Morse". The New York Times. March 5, 1957. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "Investing in Critical Industries". Arcline Investment Management. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Fairbanks, Morse & Co.; Chicago manufacturer in USA, Model T".
  4. ^ Grenning, Wayne (2018). "Timeline of the Fairbanks-Morse Z Engine". Gas Engine Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2020. Wayne appreciates that in his youthful exuberance [in his original 'Gas Engine Magazine' article from 1981] he may have gotten a few facts wrong, chiefly the introduction of the Z series, which he dated to September 1916: It's believed to have been introduced two years earlier, in July 1914.
  5. ^ Morse, Fairbanks (July 1981). "Fairbanks Morse Z technical history (not totally accurate)". gasenginemagazine.com.
  6. ^ Morse, Fairbanks. "Fairbanks Morse and Company 1918". old-engine.com.
  7. ^ Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 263. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  8. ^ Pinkpank, Jerry A (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Books. p. 323. LCCN 66-22894.
  9. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. Crescent Books (Random House). 1998. p. 290. ISBN 0517-67963-9.
  10. ^ "NavSource USS Finback SS-230". Photographic History of the U.S. Navy. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Fairbanks-Morse Company". Marine Diesel Engines. Tugboat Enthusiasts Society of the Americas. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  12. ^ Gardiner, Robert (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 603. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  13. ^ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
  14. ^ "NavSource USS Whidbey Island LSD 41". Photographic History of the U.S. Navy. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  15. ^ a b c d e Lamb, p. 85
  16. ^ a b c d Lamb, p. 88
  17. ^ a b Lamb, p. 96
  18. ^ a b c Lamb, p. 99
  19. ^ Lustig, David (April 1, 2023). "Fairbanks-Morse H12-44TS locomotive: A special diesel for a special job". Kalmbach.
  20. ^ Zoia, David (January 2, 2014) “Achates Finding Traction with Opposed-Piston Engine”, WardsAuto.com
  21. ^ Morse, Fairbanks. "Fairbanks Morse - Trident OP™". www.fairbanksmorse.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "Fairbanks Morse - FM 48/60 CR".

Bibliography

  • Lamb, J. Parker (2007). Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34863-0.

Further reading

  • "Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 Diesel Locomotive". PSRM Diesel Locomotives. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
  • Wendel, C.H. (1993). Fairbanks Morse: 100 Years of Engine Technology (reprint). Stemgas Publishing Co., Lancaster, PA.
  • Wendel, C.H. (1987). Power in the Past, Vol. 2; A History of Fairbanks-Morse and Co. (reprint). Stemgas Publishing Co., Lancaster, PA.
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