EMD FT

EMD FT
Jack Delano · Public domain · source
Name	EMD FT
Powertype	Diesel-electric
Builder	Electro-Motive Division
Builddate	1939–1945
Totalproduction	555 A units, 541 B units
Aarwheel	A1A-A1A (early) / B-B (standard)
Primemover	EMD 567
Enginetype	Two-stroke V16 diesel
Poweroutput	1,350 hp per 1,000 hp? (note: early rating variations)
Tractiveeffort	56,000 lbf starting (approx.)

EMD FT The EMD FT was a diesel-electric freight locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division of General Motors that played a pivotal role in the dieselization of North American railroads. Introduced during the pre- and wartime years, the FT combined innovations from earlier EMD EA/EB and EMD E-series designs with rugged components used in EMD NW and EMD TR switchers. Its adoption by major carriers helped displace steam locomotive classes such as the 2-8-2, 4-8-4, and 2-10-4 and influenced postwar road diesel development by rivals like Alco, Baldwin Locomotive Works, and Fairbanks-Morse.

Development and Design

The FT emerged from testing programs and wartime production policies overseen by United States War Production Board and guided by engineers at EMD including Harold L. Hamilton and Charles E. Wilson (executive leadership at General Motors). Drawing on experience with the EMD NW1 and the experimental ETC 3 prototypes, the FT used the new two-stroke EMD 567 engine, a Roots-supercharged V16 derived from earlier EMD 567A bench designs. Its modular layout adopted the multiple-unit control systems pioneered in Electro-Motive demonstrators and the carbody styling influenced by industrial designers who had worked on ALCO DL-109 streamliners and the Burlington Zephyr aesthetic. Traction motor arrangement and Blomberg truck geometry reflected research shared with Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and Santa Fe Railway operating departments. Wartime material allocation and procurement required negotiation with United States Army Transportation Corps and impacted the FT’s steel allocation and paint schemes used on Seaboard Air Line Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad demonstrators.

Production and Variants

Production began in 1939 and accelerated after 1940; sales surged as carriers sought to replace steam power on branch and mainline freights. The model was offered as A units (cabbed) and B units (cabless boosters), sold to railroads including Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Southern Railway, Great Northern Railway, and Northern Pacific Railway. Variants included early experimental sets and wartime-restricted builds with simplified appliances mandated by the War Production Board. Licensed and export versions influenced orders by Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and European operators rebuilding after World War II. The FT’s success prompted competitors such as Alco-GE to respond with models like the Alco FA while accelerating design pipelines at Baldwin and Fairbanks-Morse, leading to later EMD series like the EMD F3 and EMD F7.

Technical Specifications

The FT used the EMD 567 series two-stroke diesel engine driving a DC generator and four Westinghouse or General Electric traction motors per unit; electrical controls allowed multiple-unit operation across consists. Official power ratings varied with block and tuning; the typical road set combined A and B units to deliver roughly 2,700 horsepower for freight service on grades used by Northern Pacific and Great Northern. Trucks were early Blomberg designs influenced by Martin Blomberg’s work; wheel arrangement for most production was B-B with A1A-A1A on some early prototypes. Fuel capacity, cooling systems, and dynamic braking options were adapted to carrier requirements such as long-haul runs on Union Pacific routes and short-hood operations on Pennsylvania Railroad lines. The FT featured multiple unit jumpers compatible with EMD switchers and passenger cab control desks analogous to those developed for the EMD E-series used on New York Central and Burlington Northern passenger trains.

Service History

Railroads deployed FT sets in heavy freight, secondary freights, and transfer service, displacing steam on routes across the United States and Canada. Pioneering adopters included Santa Fe, Baltimore and Ohio, and Southern Pacific Railroad, which found the FT’s reliability and tractive effort advantageous for unit coal and merchandise trains. Wartime operations saw FT locomotives assigned to military supply movements coordinated with Army Transportation Corps timetables and to railroads operating under Office of Defense Transportation directives. Postwar, the FT’s operational concepts informed roster planning at Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad and underpinned second-generation dieselization programs on Chicago and North Western Transportation Company and Illinois Central Railroad. Some early units were rebuilt into road-switcher configurations to serve branch lines on Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.

Preservation and Survivors

Several FT units survive in museums, tourist railroads, and preservation groups including those associated with National Railway Historical Society, California State Railroad Museum, and the Illinois Railway Museum. Notable preserved examples operate on heritage lines and appear in static displays at institutions like The Henry Ford, Western Pacific Railroad Museum, and Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad events. Preservation efforts have required restoration of EMD 567 parts, traction motors, and control systems, often coordinated via swap meets and support from organizations such as SPSA preservation committees and volunteers from regional chapters of Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. Surviving FTs provide documentation for historians researching dieselization trends featured in exhibitions at Smithsonian Institution and analyses by rail historians connected to Columbia University and University of Illinois transportation archives.

Category:Diesel locomotives