The H-16-66 was a 1,600 horsepower (1.2 MW) locomotive, with a C-C wheel arrangement that was manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse from January 1951 until October 1958. Although sharing a common model designation, four different carbody variants were produced, though a total of only 59 locomotives were manufactured.
Those units produced between 1951 and 1953 (such as C&NW #1609) displayed Raymond Loewy design lines, similar to early model H-15-44s, and rode on Baldwin-style Commonwealth trucks, while later versions exhibited a more "boxy" road switcher body style which sat atop trimount trucks.
The last variation bore a strong resemblance to the H-24-66 "Train Master", and was referred to as the "Junior Train Master" by railfans due to being shorter at 56'-10 1/4" length vs. 66'-0" for its 2,400 horsepower bigger brother. The nickname was applied by railfans, never a term employed by builder Fairbanks-Morse.
Preserved units
Former Alcoa H-16-66 #721001 is privately owned, and since 12 November 2012 has been stored in the small Canadian Pacific Railway rail yard at Nelson, British Columbia. Although never on the roster of the CPR, it has been repainted in the CPR's 1950s and 1960s "Tuscan and Grey" colour scheme, and bears the fictional numbering CPR 7009. This corresponds to the last in a number series formerly reserved for diesel demonstrators on the CPR. It is coupled to CPR C-liner 4104, which has also been repainted in the tuscan and grey colour scheme. The Baby Trainmaster and C-liner will eventually be placed on static display beside the historic Nelson CPR station, which, as of August 2013, is currently undergoing restoration. The siting of these locomotives here is fitting, as the CPR division around Nelson was one of the final redoubts of Fairbanks-Morse / Canadian Locomotive Company power in North America, and the former Nelson shop was among the last to specialize in the maintenance of these units.