FOUR-STROKE FAIRBANKS

FAIRBANKS-MORSE 36A ENGINES

- Jim Allen

Fairbanks-Morse was a well-established engine manufacturer when they started the development of their first four-stroke, high-speed diesel in 1932. The term “high-speed” is relative, as the new design was rated at what today would be considered a yawn-inspiring 1200 rpm. When compared to Fairbanks Morse’s (F-M) other recently developed two-stroke diesels, which ran at 300 rpm or less, and the rest of the industry at the time, it was indeed a fast-spinning diesel powerplant. F-M had only recently made the change from low compression hot-bulb oil engines to full diesels, but they jumped into the game with both large and small engines.

The new diesel would emerge for 1934 as the Model 36A, with a 4.25 x 6.00-inch bore and stroke and rated for 10 horsepower per 85.12 cubic-inch cylinder. It was offered in one, two, three, four and six-cylinder inline configurations. A short time later, an inline eight-cylinder was added to the lineup. They were of the “en-bloc” design, meaning the blocks were cast in one piece. Each cylinder head was individual, however, and the engine used wet sleeved cylinders.