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Fairbanks Morse got into the locomotive business because it made submarine engines. FM's unique opposed-piston diesel engine powered about half the U.S. Navy's World War II submarine fleet and developed a great reputation for reliability; the adaptation to railroad equipment during and after the war seemed like a natural transition.

In the opposed-piston motor, each cylinder had a piston at either end and the combustion chamber in the middle. There were no valves or cylinder heads. Intake and exhaust occurred through holes in the cylinder walls. The upper and lower banks of pistons each powered a separate crankshaft, and the two crankshafts were linked together to power the locomotive. While this sounds like a complex way to build an engine, the O.P. diesel in fact had several advantages over a conventional motor: less moving parts, terrific acceleration, and about double the horsepower per cylinder.

In 1953 the O.P. engine reached its zenith in the Trainmaster. Introduced at the Railroad Manufacturers' Supply Association show that year, FM's new locomotive took the show by storm. It was the most powerful single-motored diesel locomotive of its era and had a brawny body to match its bold name. Emblazoned in bright yellow and red, four Trainmaster demonstrators barnstormed the country and walked away with any consist the railroads threw at them. For one brief moment, Fairbanks Morse looked like a contender.

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