John F. Kirkland Books

For several years, I have had the John Kirkland books providing the history of most of the builders of diesel locomotives in the USA. Though I read the first several years ago, the last three have remained unread, though they have often been glanced at for their many pictures.

Well - providing more evidence that I am turning into an armchair modeler - I'm off on a project to read this series of four books full of detail on the "diesel builders".

I just finished rereading the first - "The Dawn of the Diesel Age". It provides much detailed background on how the diesel locomotive came into being, and who the early builders were - engines, transmissions, chassis & carbody, etc. It is interesting to see how many firms tried their hand at this business in the early years, and how today's successful basic design evolved.

I just started reading the second in the series: "The Diesel Builders, Volume 1, Fairbanks-Morse and Lima Hamilton". I've always been a F-M fan (with their sewing machine sound) and liked the TRRA Lima 1200HP switchers that, among other types, worked StL Union Station and the TRRA yards here, so it should prove interesting.

The FM opposed piston engine is something that is of particular interest to me in terms of how it evolved. It is similar in design to the M.A.N. 9-cylinder opposed piston diesels that powered the German "Pocket Battleships" ("Panzerschiffe") in WW2. Naval history is another hobby of mine. When these ships were built (late 1920's), they were a huge innovation for a number of reasons, their engines (8 in each ship) being one of them. Though, like the FM's, they proved to have maintenance issues.

The Frisco never was tempted by any of Lima-Hamilton's offerings, but of course did enjoy some success with their FM H10-44's and H12-44's which spent most of their life in Oklahoma, based in Tulsa.

Kirkland's books are full of detail, and he has no problems voicing his opinion. He was a Baldwin guy, respects all of the other builders, but has no real love for EMD, who of course, was by far the most successful of them all until recently.

Has anyone else read these?

Ken

 

Sherrel -

They were all published by Interurban Press in hardcover back in the 1980's/early 1990's. I can post the numbers if anyone wants them.

I think they are each out of print, but I see them on eBay from time to time.

Ken

 

George - Ha! I had the same thought and checked today. Nope - no EMD FA rebuild pics.

FYI, following are the details on these fine J F Kirkland books from Interurban Press (number noted):

#80, "Dawn of the Diesel Age", 1983, ISBN 0-916374-52-1
#98, "The Diesel Builders", Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton", 1985, ISBN 0-916374-69-6
#110, "The Diesel Builders, Vol 2, American Locomotive Co & Montreal Locomotive Wks", 1989, ISBN 0-916374-81-5
#116, "The Diesel Builders, Vol 3, Baldwin Locomotive Wks", 1994, ISBN 0-916374-93-9

There are several other good softcover books dealing with Baldwin, F-M, Alco and EMD as well, published by Kalmbach and Withers (Diesel Era). I usually try to get all of these as this is an area of strong interest for me.

Ken

 

FYI - after some delay due to travel, today I finished reading John F. Kirkland's book "The Diesel Builders, Vol 1, Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton". Kirkland's books are very detail oriented, lots of data on the engines and transmissions, etc - the kind of stuff I like.

I had always thought the minor diesel builders - Baldwin, F-M, Lima-Hamilton, were overwhelmed by EMD and, to a lesser extent, Alco and later on, GE. I thought EMD and Alco won their leading market share because their stuff was better than that supplied by the other firms.

Not so according to Kirkland (he does have an anti-EMD bias, as he was a Baldwin guy). EMD and Alco won their huge combined market share because - they did indeed build good products, but mainly because they got there first, and thus their products actualy defined the diesel locomotive market. Many of the sales that went to the minority builders were made because EMD and Alco were sold out.

But, per Kirkland, the F-M and Lima designs were very well thought out, were well engineered, and were of high quality - certainly equal to EMD & Alco, and, after the Alco 244 arrived, superior to Alco. The problem was they were late to market, and did not have the production capacity of the big two. Also, EMD F's, E's, NW's, SW's and Alco S's and RS's actualy defined the locomotive types as well.

Baldwin was successful with the VO's - they also got there at the start, but their later types were not successful. F-M and L-H were just plain late to the party.

The Baldwin's, F-M's and Lima's were OK, but suffered maintenance headaches because ..... they were different. And, they were totally outnumbered. The Frisco actually liked their F-M's, but wisely concentrated them around Tulsa so they could build a unique maintenance expertise there.

Kirkland points out the F-M locomotive effort was in the black in total at the time they decided to do other things. He also notes the Lima-Hamilton diesel locomotive plant in Lima, OH was the most efficient production line of any of the builders, and L-H did the best job of using common parts and sub-assemblies in their designs.

A good read! On to volume 2 - Alco. I look forward to his comments about the Alco 244 engine!

Ken

 

Over the past week, while the arctic tundra attacked Missouri and the mid-west, I picked up my reading again of John E. Kirkland's series of books on the evolution of the diesel-electric railroad locomotive. I started reading Kirkland's "The Diesel Builders, Volume 2", which focuses on The American Locomotive Company (Alco) and its Canadian unit - The Montreal Locomotive Works. Kirkland's books are rather dry, and contain too many typos, but deliver a great amount of specific information on how the diesel locomotive was developed, with many pictures.

Alco was a pioneer in diesel locomotive development, along with Baldwin, Westinghouse and several other firms, large and small, and, of course, the relative newcomer - the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC, later to become EMD). I've just finished reading the chapters up to the end of 1935 which, for a number of reasons, was the end of significant numbers of diesel experimental and prototype locomotive models. Starting in 1936, all the builders then in the game had pretty much settled on standard designs and proceded on the development, improvement and evolution of those designs. Though the many steam locomotive fans among us will not totally agree, in hindsight, it was a pretty exciting point in time in the US railroad industry. Alco was the first with a standard diesel switcher design - their "HH" series, which was a standard design offered in 600, 660, 900 & 1000 horsepower configurations.

Let me add Mr Kirkland's words at the end of the 1935 chapter. As somewhat of a student of the diesel locomotive, it gave me a brief tingle of excitement when I read it. Yes, really!

"The year 1936 for all intents and purposes marked the end of a 20-year period of research, experimentation and development of the Diesel locomotive. In the year 1936, a new era of standardized manufacture of competitive models began. The Diesel locomotive had now come of age."

Ken

 

I'm ashamed of you reading such filthy fiction.

 

It happened man! For better or worse, it happened.

K