Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
450 Hp 1930 Fairbanks Morse 2 stroke Diesel engine. This is our Fairbanks Morse 6 cylinder engine running; you can see the smoke rings. This engine was attached to a generator to make electricity for a sawmill in Orleans, CA. The exhaust was originally piped underground for sound and fumes control. It has 450 HP @ 300 RPM and weights 70,000 lbs. It was delivered to the ranch when the museum was only an idea in 1993. It took 3 forklifts and a hay squeeze to lift it, the truck drove away, and the cribbing was removed from the trailer and placed on the ground under the engine which was then lowered into place. Later the cement blocks were poured. A roof was added and even later canvas curtains for the sides to protect this wonderful example of POWER in early America from the elements. For more information on this wonderful museum please go to penngrovepower.org
I wrote this to answer some of the many comments I have got on this Fairbanks Morse 6 cly video. I am just a retired guy that likes old engines and has always been a fan of large stationary motors. If you take a moment to read this I think many of your questions will be answered. I had fun making the video and had no idea of the views it would generate.
The 70,000 pound weight of the engine came from the museum, where it is kept. They had it trucked in several years ago and I would assume they would have a good estimate on its weight from the trucker.
Many people mentioned how quite it was when running and it was quite. I would think if it had a load on it though it would have been much louder.
I got the HP and RPM from the museum web page (see above). I can only assume that they know the output of the engine. The RPM is easy. That said if you go to: wentec.com/unipower/calculators/power_torque.asp and put in those numbers you come up with a whopping 94,537 foot pounds of torque!
More modern 2 stroke diesel engines use a blower to push out the exhaust and replace the cylinder with fresh air. This engine uses a closed crankcase with a one way valve to create air pressure to flush the cylinder. It is a very similar system to your 2 stroke weed eater. Here is a link to a cut away of the motor with a picture of how it works:
photos.app.goo.gl/EFKz1Ev5RZMAdBbK6
These are great engines and they can last an incredibly long time because of their low RPM and mass. But by modern standards they are very dirty (air pollution) to run. Two stroke engines like this one that are naturally scavenged exhaust un-burnt fuel to the atmosphere. Their efficiency (hp/fuel burnt) is well below modern standards. All that said, I love them for their size and simplicity, the lack of black boxes and other things that can't be fixed with a large wrench and a bigger hammer.
450 Hp 1930 Fairbanks Morse 2 stroke Diesel engine. This is our Fairbanks Morse 6 cylinder engine running; you can see the smoke rings. This engine was attached to a generator to make electricity for a sawmill in Orleans, CA. The exhaust was originally piped underground for sound and fumes control. It has 450 HP @ 300 RPM and weights 70,000 lbs. It was delivered to the ranch when the museum was only an idea in 1993. It took 3 forklifts and a hay squeeze to lift it, the truck drove away, and the cribbing was removed from the trailer and placed on the ground under the engine which was then lowered into place. Later the cement blocks were poured. A roof was added and even later canvas curtains for the sides to protect this wonderful example of POWER in early America from the elements. For more information on this wonderful museum please go to penngrovepower.org
I wrote this to answer some of the many comments I have got on this Fairbanks Morse 6 cly video. I am just a retired guy that likes old engines and has always been a fan of large stationary motors. If you take a moment to read this I think many of your questions will be answered. I had fun making the video and had no idea of the views it would generate.
The 70,000 pound weight of the engine came from the museum, where it is kept. They had it trucked in several years ago and I would assume they would have a good estimate on its weight from the trucker.
Many people mentioned how quite it was when running and it was quite. I would think if it had a load on it though it would have been much louder.
I got the HP and RPM from the museum web page (see above). I can only assume that they know the output of the engine. The RPM is easy. That said if you go to: wentec.com/unipower/calculators/power_torque.asp and put in those numbers you come up with a whopping 94,537 foot pounds of torque!
More modern 2 stroke diesel engines use a blower to push out the exhaust and replace the cylinder with fresh air. This engine uses a closed crankcase with a one way valve to create air pressure to flush the cylinder. It is a very similar system to your 2 stroke weed eater. Here is a link to a cut away of the motor with a picture of how it works:
photos.app.goo.gl/EFKz1Ev5RZMAdBbK6
These are great engines and they can last an incredibly long time because of their low RPM and mass. But by modern standards they are very dirty (air pollution) to run. Two stroke engines like this one that are naturally scavenged exhaust un-burnt fuel to the atmosphere. Their efficiency (hp/fuel burnt) is well below modern standards. All that said, I love them for their size and simplicity, the lack of black boxes and other things that can't be fixed with a large wrench and a bigger hammer.
