FT Diesel Locomotive

Prototype Information

General Motors’ Electro-Motive Corporation launched the EMD FT in November 1939, earned it the title “the diesel that did it.” EMC built the FT to prove that diesel-electric power could beat steam in mainline freight service. Each unit carried a 16-cylinder 567 engine that generated 1,350 horsepower. Railroads usually ran them as semi-permanently coupled A-B pairs or 5,400-horsepower A-B-B-A sets. EMC sent its famous demonstrator set, No. 103, on an 83,000-mile tour across 20 Class I railroads. The tour shattered steam’s dominance by proving the FT cut maintenance, skipped constant fuel stops, and offered superior starting power.

World War II accelerated demand for the new locomotive. The War Production Board named EMD the only builder allowed to manufacture mainline diesel freighters during the war. Western railroads like the Santa Fe bought them quickly to haul heavy war freight across arid mountain passes without needing water stops. EMC built 1,096 FT units before production ended in November 1945. The FT’s success secured EMD’s lead in the diesel revolution and paved the way for the famous F-unit series.