Reading Railroad Lines FT 250 Poster

From www.railphotoexpress.biz; Introduced in 1939, the EMD (Electro-Motive Division General Motors) FT locomotive was "the diesel that did it," proving the viability of diesel power in road freight service and portending the eventual end of steam power in American railroading. These units allowed railroads across the country to run heavier trains more cost-effectively, FT stands for "Freight - Twenty-seven hundred horsepower." Each "unit" consisted of a 1350 HP A unit with cab and a cabless 1350 HP B unit, connected by a drawbar, for a total of 2700 horsepower. EMD sent its demonstrator unit on a nationwide tour between 1939 and 1940, which had an impact on the Reading's management (who generally had a very progressive mindset regarding motive power technology), and the railroad placed an order for ten units in 1943 at a cost of roughly $2.5 million. The revolutionary FT was originally developed by the Electro-Motive Corporation, a few years before it became an official division of General Motors. The model, which was designed for freight service, debuted a few years after EMC released the EA intended for passenger service. The FT proved a marketing sensation convincing railroads that diesels could be used in standard road service following successful demonstrations by GM during 1939 when an A-B-B-A set toured the country. The success of the locomotive also proved to EMD that introduce a formal line of diesels and the FT paved the way for steam's demise.