Colt-Fairbanks Morse 38A20

isayyo2

isayyo2

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Creating this thread to hopefully uncover more information about the 38A20 family of opposed-piston diesels developed in the late 1960s.

What I know so far:
The 38A20 diesel engine is a two-cycle, uniflow scavenged, opposed-piston engine with cylinder in line or a 45-deg. 'V'. It has been designed with six and nine cylinder in line or 12 and 18 cylinders in 'V', all rated for 1,250-hp per cylinder.
Click to expand...
Maritime Reporter February 15, 1969

Courtesy of Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company's magazine Lufkin Line, we discover 38A20 started development by 1966 and had planned to go to sea in the "Falcon Class Tanker" ordered by Falcon Tankers Inc. and chartered by the Military Sea Transportation Service. These four 34,000 ton tankers were the largest diesel powered and American flagged vessels of the time.
  • Falcon Lady
  • Falcon Duchess
  • Falcon Countess
  • Falcon Princess
In addition, the 38A20 pops up in Litton's initial DX design for CODAG and full diesel propulsion schemes. Litton was also building the Falcon class tankers. @A Tentative Fleet Plan post delves deep into DX propulsion concepts.

From a Jan 15, 1970 report in the New York Times it reports that the 38A20 was in serious trouble:
Colt Industries earnings last year suffered a sharp drop to $5,510,000, or 16 cents a common share, from $28,840,000 or $3.90 a share in 1968, George A. Strichman, chairman, report ed yesterday.

He explained that a provision of $18‐million after taxes was made to cover all anticipated future costs on the company's troubled 38A20 diesel engine program, which has been in development for some time.

“It is unfortunate that the difficulties which emerged from this single program last year should have caused the first significant interruption of this company's and this management's six‐year record earnings growth,” Mr. Strichman said.
The company had disclosed in its third‐quarter report that 38A20 had not met final performance tests in time for shipping schedules and “that we had been faced by an immediate sharp escalation of costs. Further difficulties in the program during the fourth quarter convinced us that the only prudent and proper course was to provide for all anticipated future costs including warranties, penalties and possible litigation liabilities,” the executive said.

He emphasized that “the company holds a significant position in the diesel engine industry and that development work on the 38A20 as well as other large engines will go forward.”
Click to expand...
The four tankers of the Falcon Class did go to sea as T-AO-182 through 185, with USNS Falcon Lady T-AO-182 launched in September 1970 and entering service with the Military Sealift Command in mid 1971. However, powering the Falcon Lady is listed as two Crossley-Pielstick 16PC-2V400 Diesel engines, not the 38A20.

Working backwards, it seems like the 38A20 never made it to sea or even as a stationary power plant...
I'm curious to know more about Colt's relationship with Pielstick, and if the 38A20 endeavor "sunk" Fairbanks Morse. FM would start churning out licensed Pielstick designs around the same time the 38A20 series failed.
 

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isayyo2 said:
Creating this thread to hopefully uncover more information about the 38A20 family of opposed-piston diesels developed in the late 1960s.

What I know so far:

Maritime Reporter February 15, 1969

Courtesy of Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company's magazine Lufkin Line, we discover 38A20 started development by 1966 and had planned to go to sea in the "Falcon Class Tanker" ordered by Falcon Tankers Inc. and chartered by the Military Sea Transportation Service. These four 34,000 ton tankers were the largest diesel powered and American flagged vessels of the time.
  • Falcon Lady
  • Falcon Duchess
  • Falcon Countess
  • Falcon Princess
In addition, the 38A20 pops up in Litton's initial DX design for CODAG and full diesel propulsion schemes. Litton was also building the Falcon class tankers. @A Tentative Fleet Plan post delves deep into DX propulsion concepts.

From a Jan 15, 1970 report in the New York Times it reports that the 38A20 was in serious trouble:

The four tankers of the Falcon Class did go to sea as T-AO-182 through 185, with USNS Falcon Lady T-AO-182 launched in September 1970 and entering service with the Military Sealift Command in mid 1971. However, powering the Falcon Lady is listed as two Crossley-Pielstick 16PC-2V400 Diesel engines, not the 38A20.

Working backwards, it seems like the 38A20 never made it to sea or even as a stationary power plant...
I'm curious to know more about Colt's relationship with Pielstick, and if the 38A20 endeavor "sunk" Fairbanks Morse. FM would start churning out licensed Pielstick designs around the same time the 38A20 series failed.
Click to expand...
For "smaller" engines, F-M was still making the 38D 8 1/8" into the 1990s, as those were installed in 688s, Ohios, and even the 3 Seawolf class. Virginia class got a different emergency diesel generator only because the idiots didn't leave enough space to install a 38D!
 
Scott Kenny said:
For "smaller" engines, F-M was still making the 38D 8 1/8" into the 1990s, as those were installed in 688s, Ohios, and even the 3 Seawolf class. Virginia class got a different emergency diesel generator only because the idiots didn't leave enough space to install a 38D!
Click to expand...
I believe that F-M still makes the 38D 8-1/8, which strikes me as rather remarkable, but I think it's not the only diesel engine with a design origin predating WW2.
 
isayyo2 said:
Creating this thread to hopefully uncover more information about the 38A20 family of opposed-piston diesels developed in the late 1960s.

What I know so far:

Maritime Reporter February 15, 1969

Courtesy of Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company's magazine Lufkin Line, we discover 38A20 started development by 1966 and had planned to go to sea in the "Falcon Class Tanker" ordered by Falcon Tankers Inc. and chartered by the Military Sea Transportation Service. These four 34,000 ton tankers were the largest diesel powered and American flagged vessels of the time.
  • Falcon Lady
  • Falcon Duchess
  • Falcon Countess
  • Falcon Princess
In addition, the 38A20 pops up in Litton's initial DX design for CODAG and full diesel propulsion schemes. Litton was also building the Falcon class tankers. @A Tentative Fleet Plan post delves deep into DX propulsion concepts.

From a Jan 15, 1970 report in the New York Times it reports that the 38A20 was in serious trouble:

The four tankers of the Falcon Class did go to sea as T-AO-182 through 185, with USNS Falcon Lady T-AO-182 launched in September 1970 and entering service with the Military Sealift Command in mid 1971. However, powering the Falcon Lady is listed as two Crossley-Pielstick 16PC-2V400 Diesel engines, not the 38A20.

Working backwards, it seems like the 38A20 never made it to sea or even as a stationary power plant...
I'm curious to know more about Colt's relationship with Pielstick, and if the 38A20 endeavor "sunk" Fairbanks Morse. FM would start churning out licensed Pielstick designs around the same time the 38A20 series failed.
Click to expand...
Concerning Fairbanks-Morse 38A20 stationary power plant installations: From 1972 to 1974 I worked for a consulting engineer who had been the manager of the Fairbanks-Morse office in St. Louis, MO. After F-M closed their St. Louis office, he worked for a consultant before starting his own consulting business. At F-M and as a consultant he worked with many small municipal power plants within a few hundred miles of St. Louis. Many of these power plants used diesel generators. He told me about the Fairbanks-Morse 38A20 during a few of our conversations. During these conversations he noted that a few 38A20's had indeed been installed in municipal power plants for stationary generator use. The city where one was installed that I can remember for sure was Sullivan, IL. It was a six cylinder unit with a rating of 6000HP. Although the original design was to be 1250HP per cylinder, the stationary rating at the time of the unit's installation was 1000HP per cylinder. When it became apparent that the 38A20 had problems, the installed units were derated to 500HP per cylinder, or half their original intended rating. After working on the problems and not being able to resolve them satisfactorily, F-M was able to obtain the license from Pielstick for their proven 12 cylinder, 500HP per cylinder design. They then abandoned the 38A20 design and replaced them with the Pielstick units.

As an aside, I was in the F-M plant in 1973 to witness a load test of a 2.244MW 38TDD8-1/8 (Turbocharged Dual Fuel) diesel generator that they built for Mascoutah, IL. They had installed a single cylinder version of the 38A20 in the shop for testing and to work out the bugs. Of course by that time it was shut down permanently but the shop foreman did mention that they had gotten it up to 1500HP.

Although a large percentage of the small municipal power plants that were still in operation in the 1960's and 1970's are now shut down, the Sullivan, IL municipal power plant apparently is still in operation and their web site still has a listing of all the diesel engine powered generators that were installed in the power plant. The line-up of units shows a 6000HP unit installed in 1968 (the 38A20) and then being replaced in 1973 (the Pielstick).

I cannot recall the other municipal power plants were the 38A20's were installed. Carmi, IL sticks in my mind but I am not sure and I believe their municipal power plant is shut down.

Mark K. Carron, P.E.
 
Mark K. Carron said:
Concerning Fairbanks-Morse 38A20 stationary power plant installations: From 1972 to 1974 I worked for a consulting engineer who had been the manager of the Fairbanks-Morse office in St. Louis, MO. After F-M closed their St. Louis office, he worked for a consultant before starting his own consulting business. At F-M and as a consultant he worked with many small municipal power plants within a few hundred miles of St. Louis. Many of these power plants used diesel generators. He told me about the Fairbanks-Morse 38A20 during a few of our conversations. During these conversations he noted that a few 38A20's had indeed been installed in municipal power plants for stationary generator use. The city where one was installed that I can remember for sure was Sullivan, IL. It was a six cylinder unit with a rating of 6000HP. Although the original design was to be 1250HP per cylinder, the stationary rating at the time of the unit's installation was 1000HP per cylinder. When it became apparent that the 38A20 had problems, the installed units were derated to 500HP per cylinder, or half their original intended rating. After working on the problems and not being able to resolve them satisfactorily, F-M was able to obtain the license from Pielstick for their proven 12 cylinder, 500HP per cylinder design. They then abandoned the 38A20 design and replaced them with the Pielstick units.

As an aside, I was in the F-M plant in 1973 to witness a load test of a 2.244MW 38TDD8-1/8 (Turbocharged Dual Fuel) diesel generator that they built for Mascoutah, IL. They had installed a single cylinder version of the 38A20 in the shop for testing and to work out the bugs. Of course by that time it was shut down permanently but the shop foreman did mention that they had gotten it up to 1500HP.

Although a large percentage of the small municipal power plants that were still in operation in the 1960's and 1970's are now shut down, the Sullivan, IL municipal power plant apparently is still in operation and their web site still has a listing of all the diesel engine powered generators that were installed in the power plant. The line-up of units shows a 6000HP unit installed in 1968 (the 38A20) and then being replaced in 1973 (the Pielstick).

I cannot recall the other municipal power plants were the 38A20's were installed. Carmi, IL sticks in my mind but I am not sure and I believe their municipal power plant is shut down.

Mark K. Carron, P.E.
Click to expand...


In a follow up to my above posting, I found a recent article that was authored by Norm Shade and published in Compressor Tech magazine. In the article, dated April 30, 2024, Mr, Shade gives a more comprehensive explanation of the problems experienced with the 38A20 engine. There is a picture in the article of a six cylinder 38A20 installation and a cross-section drawing of a cylinder of an inline 38A20 engine. The article does not mention the installations in municipal power plants such as I noted for Sullivan, Il but it does reference other installations and, as noted above, gives a fairly comprehensive explanation of the problems that were encountered. The article is easily found on the internet. It is well worth reading.

Mark K. Carron, P.E.
 
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