Alcos Big Bid 1 - Classic Trains Magazine

Louis A
Marre Collection
J
David
Ingles.
The millionJ. DAVID INGLES
I
CA-THUNK.
tower
CA-THUNK.
The
operator busily squeezed
and
slammed the electropneumatic
interlocking control handles. "First
<
NY-99's on it," he said. His manner
was the matter-of-fact, not-too-busyto-be-informative one typical of a
workaday railroader whose 8-hour
trick had been intruded upon by a
visiting railfan.
Mgaum.
.0,1
:u >
Donald Sims
ALCO'S BIG BID TO BE BEST-1
niles before overhaul diesei
-
-
The F's most
formidable competitor
I descended the stairs of the tower
and picked my way around the slip
switches and across the multipletrack main line to the sunny side of
the tracks to set up for photos. Plenty
of time. But hark! A headlight to the
east mushroomed into yellow and
black detail. Engines were throttled
down as the train neared the inter
locking plant. NY-99 was here. Rattle,
bang, screech. Five Alcos in perfect
A-B-B-B-A formation rattled through
the plant, then accelerated, pouring
out the black smoke characteristic of
their breed as they notched up for
Marion, O. Their stark, squarish out
were framed against the back
of the glinting low sunlight of
the late afternoon. Box cars and pig
gybacks swished through the turn
lines
light
outs,
a song of
big-time rail
bay-windowed red hack,
for dear life, bounced by
singing
roading.
A
hanging on
and brought
down the curtain on my
introduction to the brand-new Erie
Lackawanna.
Two more symbol freights, one
eastbound and one westbound, and
each also with Alco covered
wagons
in
charge,
soon
followed.
© 2014 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form
TRAINS
23
without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com
J. Parker Lamb
]
GULF, MOBILE
The
Miss,
FA's
&
worked
(above)
OHIO
on
all
concentrated
its
FA's
on
types of trains. Two units
in
lines
south
of
Parker Lamb.
St.
Louis.
local left
Meridian,
freight through a snow-
on
a
August 1950, and a quintet led a road
Union, Miss, (above right) in December 1960. No. 752
and RS2 1508 rested at Meridian
(right) in June 1954. GM&O's first three
FA's
originally bore Alco-GE numbers (below) for publicity purposes.
covered
cut
near
C. W. Jernstrom Collection, courtesy of Extra 2200 South.
Jim Shaughnessy.
NEW HAVEN'S FA's first
painted orange with silver
striping (below); green and yellow were adopted later.
The FA's primary haunt was the Maybrook (N.Y.) line. A
five-unit set left Maybrook in June 1958 (right). At New
Haven (above), FA's mingled with a DL109 and a C-Liner.
were
Jim SI
J. Parker Lamb.
Dick Turner.
Stan Kistler
UNION PACIFIC
To a Detroiter, such an experience
with FA's in October 1960 should
have been old hat. New York Central's
legions of them often called at the
West Detroit engine terminal; allFA Ann Arbor was in my back yard;
B&O occasionally sent Alcos up to
nearby Toledo; and the two big Ca
nadian roads regularly assigned Mont
real-built cabs to runs into Windsor,
just across the Detroit River. But at
SN tower in eastern Ohio I had wit
nessed FA's in nice matched A-B-B-A
quartets (and a quintet) holding down
a big
road's major freights, taking
apart the urbanized countryside at a
liberal speed. True, those trains had
perspective on the
road with which my
prior contact had been minimal; but
if EMD F's had been on the point of
those freights that afternoon, the in
cident would long have been forgotten
Just as they are for younger fans in
the 1970's, the objectives for those of
us who hunted new diesels and new
roads and explored new territory in
the early Sixties were the minority
locomotives. FA's were a strong, com
me
a
former Erie,
new
a
.
pelling minority.
Today, FA's hang
on
in Canada and
in
Mexico, but there
as
motive power in the United States.
can
on
you
the
are none
serving
Long Island Rail Road
FA's in action, bringing
up one end of conventional -equipment
push-pull trains powered by C420's
at the opposite end. The emasculated
Alco cab units look as fine as always,
but they're on hand solely as a source
of auxiliary power for train services
and as a haven for a crew on the
"push" end of the train when that end
leads. Even this arrangement has a
calculated short life span, for the con
ventional train on the LIRR is doomed
Only
see
the
only
FA operator in the
Southwest;
it used the Alcos
on
the old
days before nose M.U., two fourunit sets doubleheaded up the eastbound track in Cajon Pass (left) with 80 cars. On Feb
ruary 15, 1954, shop personnel at UP's East Los Angeles facility checked an FBI (right).
Los
They bought big
given
was
Angeles
& Salt Lake. On October 30,
1950,
to be replaced by an all-self-powered
fleet. The last FA's to power American
trains did so on Burlington Northern
in Oregon in May 1972.
What niche in dieseldom did the
FA's fill? They were a pleasant change
esthetically and proved to be adequate
mechanically. In the filled-order-book
days of two and a half decades ago
during the post-World War II rush
toward dieselization
the FA's were a
logical choice for Alcos regular cus
tomers and sometimes an opportunis
tic alternative for diesel-hungry roads
which were shopping at all outlets.
To put the FA into perspective, re
member that the total number of Alco
FA cabs and boosters 1401 was
two dozen less than that of domestic
F7 boosters (F7B's) alone. The total
North American production of Elec
tro-Motive F's
models FT through
F9, including dual-service
the FP7 as well
close to 6500.
as
as
units such
boosters
was
FA's are virile-looking beasts, com
bining the distinctive headlight and
nose styling (which is scaled down a
bit from that of the classic PA) with
AAR type B road trucks,
not awkward lines, and
squarish but
generally
at
screenwork. For those per
sons who would literally look down
on the FA, the covering over the
single
72-inch radiator cooling fan toward
the rear of the roof of the unit is a
topside focal point. Augment these
features with the unforgettable rugged
sound of Alco's VI 2 244 four-cycle
tractive
turbocharged engine, and
you have
the basic components which are
etched in the memories of those ob
servers who have witnessed FA's tack
ling the high iron.
But just what is an "FA"? Strictly
in the
speaking, the label applies only to the
cab-equipped versions of the 1500
h.p. and 1600 h.p. B-B units marketed
by the alliance of Alco and General
Electric. The booster units are des
ignated FB's, and units equipped
with steam generators to heat passen
ger trains carry FPA or FPB designa
However, for practicality, and
avoid confusion with the simple
"F" label uniformly given to ElectroMotive's series, all Alco "covered wag
ons" with four-motor trucks are
lumped together as "FA's."
They were produced in the U.S.
from 1946 to 1956; Gulf, Mobile &
Ohio got the first ones and Louisville
& Nashville the last ones. The AlcoGE alliance dated from 1940 and last
ed until 1953, so FA's built thereafter
bore only the Alco name. FA's also
were produced in Canada by Alco li
censee Montreal Locomotive Works.
There were two basic models of FA:
the 1500 h.p. FA1 (and FBI); and a
redesigned version (with a new-mod
el main generator) of 1600 h.p., termed
FA2(and FB2). Variants are late FAl's
on which the rated
horsepower was
1600 instead of 1500; an adaptation
of the "2" series for passenger work
(FPA and FPB); and the "4" series.
The "4" series was an 1800 h.p. ver
sion which boasted a newer prime
mover. As it turned out, the
only ex
amples built were passenger units by
MLW in 1958 and 1959 for Canadian
National.
The model designations taken for
tions.
to
granted and
in universal
usage
today
part of Alco-GE's lexicon in
the 1940's when the
road-freight diesel concept pioneered by Electro-Mo
tive was
developing. The first AlcoGE freight cab units were referred to
simply as "1500 s" for the rated horsewere
not
TRAINS
25
1400 FA'S: AN ALCO ACCOUNTING
UNITED STATES
QTY. MODEL ROAD NOS.
BUILT
NOTES
1950
52A, 55A, SOA, 55
ANN AR80R
14
FA2
50/50A-56/56A
to Wabash
820-823
1964
in
BALTIMORE & OHIO
28
FA2
4000-4007,4018-4037 1 950-1 953
16
FB2
5000-5003.5009-5020
1950-1953
10
FPA2
4008-4017
1950-1951
1950-1951
801 /80 1 A-837/837A (odd num
bers) 4028-4037 renumbered 4128-4137 in 1965
5000-5020 delivered as 801 X-837X, 81 7AX, 837AX (odd
4000-4037 delivered
as
numbers, not in same sequence)
4106-41 10 in 1965
5
FPB2
5004-5008
BURLINGTON NORTHERN
11
4100-4108,4112-4122
(even numbers)
FA1
1948-1950
Ex-SP&S 856-860, 862-867
name
4102, 4100. 4120.
61 1-616
1
FA2
4126
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN
2
FA2
4103A, 4104A
2
FB2
ERIE (ERIE
22
FA1
22
FB1
8
8
FA2
4103B, 4104B
LACKAWANNA)
725A/D-735A/D
725B/C-735B/C
in
All
5016-5020 renumbered
cai
4104
ed SP&S colors and
4116,
FB2
GREAT
NORTHERN
4
FAT
276A/B. 310A/C
1
FBI'
310B
4
FA1
440A/D, 442A/D
4
FBI
440B/C, 442B/C
2
to
LI
1950
Ex-SP&S 869
Carried SPSS colors and
1950
1950
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1603A, 1603D. acquired
in
1951
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1603B, 1603C, acquired
in
1951
1947-1949
1 947-1 949
To Erie Lackawanna 7251
1950-1951
To Erie Lackawanna 7361/7364-7391/7394 in 1960
To Erie Lackawanna 7362/7363-7392/7393 in 1960,
1950-1951
nam
/7254-7351 /7354
To Erie Lackawanna 7252/7253-7352/7353
725A/D- 732A/D originally 709A/D=
736A/D-739A/D
736B/C-739B/C
4108
1972
71
1960
in
in
1 960
6A/D.
1950
1950
1948-1949
1948-1949
2
FA2
FB2
278A, 279A
278B, 279B
1950
2
FPA2
277A/B
1950
1950
To SP&S 862-865
in
1950
To SP&S 206-209 in 1950
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1 602A/D
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1602B/C
GREEN BAY & WESTERN
5
FA1
501-503, 506-507
1947-1949
501-503 carried KGB&W initials for subsidiary Kewaunee.
506 delivered as 503 (1st), re
numbered in 1949 upon delivery of 503 (2nd).
Green Bay & Western
GULF. MOBILE & OHIO
55
29
4
700-754
1946-1947
700-701
FBI
B1-B29
B30-B33
1947-1949
1950
B1
FBI-
4
FB2
B34-B37
LEHIGH & NEW ENGLAND
1955
10
1948-1949
FA1
701-710
751-753
3
FB1
LEHIGH VALLEY
10
FA1
10
FBI
8
FA2
FB2
4
originally Alco-GE
originally Alco-GE 1501
FA1
1948-1949
1500,
1502
To L&N 332-341 in 1962
To L&N 327-329 in 1962.
530-548 (even numbers) 1948
53 1-549 (odd numbers) 1948
580-594 (even numbers) 1950-1951
58 1-587 (odd numbers) 1950-1951
LONG ISLAND
8
FA1
611-618
1947-1950
1 1
FA2
600-610
1951-1956
Power cab
Ex-BN 4102. 4100. 4120. 4104, 41 16,
cars
4108; ex-PC 1333,
Power cab
1330
Ex NYC 1302; ex-L&N 317, 309. 315,
314. 320, 321. ex-WM 303. 304. 301. 302
cars.
LOUISVILLE
&
1 1
FA1
332-341, 333 (2nd)
1948-1949
3
39
FB1
327-329
1948-1949
Ex-L&NE 751-753
FA2
300-321.353-369
200-211,330-331
1952-1956
FB2
317, 309. 315, 314. 310. 321 to LI 601-606 in 1971
203-209, 330-331, 210-211 renumbered 385-395 in
FPA2
350-352. 383-384
1952-1953
NASHVILLE
Ex-L&NE
701
710,
ex-SLSF
5205
(EMD engine)
333
(2nd) renumbered 319 (2nd)
1952-1956
1965 386, 395, 392 converted to midtram control
2000 (later renumbered 2001) and 2002-2003
5
MISSOURI
18
FA1
KANSAS -TEX AS
326A/C-334A/C
1948-1949
331A
recked
328A,
xcep
Electro-Motive
in
1950, replaced by FA2 331A (2nd)
330A, 331A/C re-engmed
329A/C,
in
331A (2nd)
1950
MISSOURI PACIFIC
FA1
20
301-320
10
FBI
301 B 31 OB
1948
FA1-
321-330
43
FB1FA2
321B-325B
331-360. 374-386
40
FB2
19
FPA2
331B-335B. 345B356B, 370B-392B
361-373. 387-392
All
by
1956-1959
329A/C re-engmed by Alco
All renumbered 82A/C-90A/C
with 251
10
5
cars
engines in 1956
in
1960 After sale to Precision National Corp. 83C and
89A leased in 19691 970 by Toledo, Peoria & Western
Re-engmed by Electro-Motive in 1957 Renumbered 87A
in 1960
1948
1950
1950
1951-1954
In
1951-1954
FPA2s
1962, shortly before their retirement, some FA2's and
were given numbers in 1 300 series 1000 numbers
above the old numbers to avoid conflicts with renumbered
1952-1954
Geeps
30
FA1
0400-0429
1947
15
FBI
5
FB2
0450-0464
465-469
1947
1 95 1
0401, 0418. 0426. 0428 to PC 1330-1333 in 1969
0456, 0462 lo PC 3390, 3392 in 1969
465, 467, 468 to PC 3393. 3395, 3396 in 1 969
NEW HAVE N
NEW YORK CENTRAL
44
FA1
1000 1043
1947-1949
1000,
2nd)
23
FB1
3300-3322
1947-1949
80
FA2
1044-1123
1951-1952
in
1031. 1033 renumbered
1119, 1056. 1110 (all
1964 to fill numbers vacated by wrecked units
1009. 11 10 (2nd). 1119 (2nd) renumbered 1300, 1310
1319 in 1968 to conform to Penn Central
renumbering
Delivered as 2300-2322, renumbered in 1951 3322 re
numbered 3368
(2nd)
wrecked unit
in
1964 to fill number vacated by
Following
same
units renumbered in 1968 to 1300 series with
last two digits to conform to Penn Central renumber
1045, 1049, 1050, 1051. 1054. 1055, 1061 1069
1073. 1075, 1076. 1080-1084
1086
1087
1091, 1098. 1099, 1102, 1104 1108 1111
1113 1302 to LI 600 in 1973 1350 to PC 1350
ing
1071,
1089,
50
FB2
3323-3372
1951-1952
PENN CENTRAL
4
FA1
1330-1333
Ex-NH 0401. 0418.
617-618 in 1973
3390. 3392
1947
1
FBI
FA2
1350
1951
3
FB2
3393, 3395-3396
2
Ex-NH 0456. 0462
Ex-NYC 1350, nee
0426,
0428
1333
1330
1050, only former NYC
FA
to
LI
actually
to be relettered PC
Ex-NH 465. 467, 468, Other ex-NH units
PC numbers but were not renumbered
PENNSYLVANIA
9600-9603
9600B-9603B
9604-9607
9604B-9607B
9608-9631
9608B-9630B
(even numbers)
1948
6
FA1
300-305
1948
6
FBI
300B-305B
1948
4
FA1
4
FBI
4
FAT
4
FBI'
24
FA2
12
FB2
1948
1950
1950
1951
1951
READING
were
assigned
16
FA1
Re-engmed by EMD in 1954-1 957, renumbered 1 28-143
(not in sequence) 132-139, 142 equipped c 1963 with
Blomberg trucks by 81
Re-engined by EMD in 1955-1956, renumbered 1 28B-
1948
145-160
1948
135B
(not
sequence). Renumbered 28-35 c
Blomberg trucks by RI c
in
1 32B-1 35B equipped with
ST, LOUIS-SAN FRANCISCO
32
FA1
5200-5231
19481949
16
1948 1949
1964
1 963.
5200-5209. 521 1-5213. 5215-5219 re-engined by EMD
in
5300-5315
FB1
5205 to L&N 333
1955-1957
Re-engined by
EMD
(2nd)
1964
in
5301-5304,
1955-1957
in
5310 renumbered 190-193. 197-199
in
5307-
1966.
SEABOARD
3
FA1
3
FBI
than model designations, and the
FA's and FB's had "spec" numbers
DL208A, B, and C; DL212A and B;
DL213A and B; and DL218 and DL219
er
2220A/B-2223A/B
SPOKANE. PORTLAND & SEATTLE
FA1
850-865
16
1948-1949
1948-1949
862-865 ex-GN 440A/D. 442A/D
Eastern
868 to Pacific Great
Leasing Co) for parts
Alco
(through
856 860,
862-865 to
BN
4100-4118 (even
c
1970
numbers).
To BN 4120, 4122
869 to BN 4126
2
2
FA1FA2
866-867
868-869
1950
10
FB1
FBI-
200-209
210-211
1948-1949
1950
206-209 ex-GN 440B/C,
2
2
FB2
212-213
1950
All SP&S FA's
1950
originally
and
numbers)
numbers)
(even
442B/C
numbered 850A-1 /2-868A-1 /2
856B-1 / 2-868B-1 / 2 (even
FB's
TENNESSEE CENTRAL
5
FA1
801-805
1
FB1
801B
1949
1949
UNION PACIFIC
44
FA1
44
B1
1947-1948
1600-1643
1600-1625 originally 1500A-1523A. 1542A-1543A
1600B/C-1642B/C
WABASH
10
FA1
(even numbers)
1947 1948
1600B/C-1616B/C originally 1524B-1541B
1200/A-1204/A
1949
Renumbered 805-814
in
1961
in
1961.
5
FBI
1200B-1204B
1949
Renumbered 800-804
4
FA2
820-823
1950
Ex-AA 52A, 55A, 50A. 55
FA2
To LI 609. 610. 607, 608
301-304
in
9400 donated
to
National
1972
of Science &
Museur
Tech-
nology, Ottawa, Ont
25
FA2
15
FB2
9409-9437
(odd numbers)
1951-1952
6
FPA2
6706-6711
1955
6
FPB2
6806-6811
1955
9408-9456
2
2
FPA4M
6758-6759
6858-6859
1958
(even numbers)
Renumbered 6750-6755
6755, 6751
rebuilt to 6758-
6855, 6851
rebuilt to
6759
34
FPB4M
FPA4
1958
1958-1959
6760-6793
6860-6871
FPB4
Renumbered 6850-6855
6859
Rebuilt from 6755. 6751
Rebuilt from 6855, 6851
6858-
1958-1959
CANADIAN PACIFIC
4000-4027. 4016 (2nd) 1949-1950
4016 (1st) wrecked in 1957, 4016 (2nd) constructed i
1966 from parts of RS10 8557 and FA1 4014
(1966)
FA2
4400-4423
1949-1950
4042-4051,4084-4093 1951-1953
6
FB2
4465-4470
1953
7
FPA2
2
FPB2
4082-4083.4094-4098
4463-4464
1953
1953
24
20
FBI
Canada note;
All CN units and all CP units except 4000-4007 and 4400-4403 ( /hich
Locomotive Works
were
built
by Alco)
were
built
by Montreal
MEXICO
CHIHUAHUA-PACIFIC
1
500
FA1-
Originally
SCOP 23039. to CH-P 500. to SCOP 7121-5,
to FCS 305, to FUS 305
215.
to FCS
NATIONAL OF MEXICO
FA2
6507A-6522A.6519A
18
(2nd),
6534A
1951-1954
6519A/B wrecked in 1952, replaced with identical new
set6519A/B (2nd) 6522A to FUS 314' (See FUS listing.)
6507B-6522B, 6519B
23
FB2
6534B
1951-1955
18
FPA2
6500-6501, 6502A6506A, 6523A-6533A
1950-1954
11
FPB2
6502B-6506B.
6528B-6533B
(2nd), 6523B-6527B,
6500-6501 to FCS 306-307? (See FUS
listing
PACIFIC
4
901-904
FPA2
SONORA-BAJA CALIFORNIA
1
23039
FAr
Lettered SCOP
To CH-P 500. to SCOP 7121-5, to FCS
to FUS 305 See Mexico notes.
215, to FCS 305,
UNITED SOUTHEASTERN
FA1
201-204
1949
FA1-
305
1950
FPA2
FA2
306-307
1950
Ex-NdeM 6500-6501
308-314
1952
308-313 originally SCOP 7121-8-7121-13. to FCS 218-
Originally
to FCS 21
SCOP 23031-23034. to SCOP 7121-1-7121-4,
1-214, to FCS 201-204
Originally SCOP 23039.
to FCS
215,
to CH-P
500.
to
SCOP 7121-5,
to FCS 305
223 314 originally NdeM 6522A, to UdeY 325
Mexico notes;
All units built by Alco except NdeM 6528A/B-6533A/B, built by MLW
Key to railroad abbreviations CH-P Chihuahua-Pacific, FCS Southeastern Railway (Sureste),
FUS
United Southeastern Railways (created by merger of FCS and UdeY), NdeM
National Railways of
Mexico, SCOP
Secretary of Communications and Public Works (at one time, the office in charge of govern
ment roads other than NdeM); UdeY
United Railways of Yucatan
Sources differ
then 309
FCS 314,
renumbering of former
on
NdeM units
on
FUS
NdeM 6522A may have become FCS 307,
may have become UdeY 325, then
7 121-5, may have been CH-P 500
all were lettered for Sonora-Baja California,
(2nd), NdeM 6501 may have become FCS 306; NdeM 6500
then FCS 310 (2nd) SCOP FA2 7121-9. rather than FAr
Some sources say SCOP 7 1 21 -1 -71 21 -4 and 7121-8-7121-11
with the first group going to FCS in 1950 and the second in 1957
EXPORT
BRAZIL (Central of Brazil)
1948
FA1
3201-3212
12
CUBA (Consolidated Railroads of Cuba)
1951
FA2
6
1600-1605
1951
FA2
6
1650-1655
PAKISTAN (North Western Railway)
1951-1953
FA2
23
2001 2023
*
5"-6"
Company,
Northern Railways (lettered "Norte")
auge.
el trucks, buffers
s (specification riumbers DL208C and
designation FA1 and FBI indicates 1600 h p
DL209C)
Data for this summary was drawn from "Alco FA FB Tally.'' pages 26-27, March-Apr
1972 Extra 2200 South.
and other rosters in that publication
The
demand for a descriptive series for
Alco-GE diesels. The series using F,
S, and RS for carbody style; A for cabs
and B for boosters; and C for A1A
and D for C trucks appears in Alco
correspondence to railroads as early
April
1952.
Interestingly, though,
lishing Corporation, 1950].
The FA2,
RS3, and RSD4 are all so identified,
but what we now know as the PA2,
RSI, S4, and S3 are described only
by horsepower and wheel arrange
ment. The FA2 and the two roadswitcher model designations appear
only in the tabular specifications and
not in any accompanying Alco-GE ad
vertising. Railroads gradually caught
on.
The railfan world was slower to
catch on, but we must remember that
diesel enthusiasts were a small minor
ity at that time. A roster of Santa Fe
diesels, presumably from the railroad,
which appeared on page 29 of January
1954 Trains & Travel, accompany
ing a story by Wallace W. Abbey, prob
ably was the first in a popular rail
publication to list all Alco-GE diesels
by the models accepted today.
The Santa Fe had no FA's, however,
so the first roster to
properly label
Alco-GE B-B cabs as FA's apparently
was one on Louisville
& Nashville
locomotives compiled by diesel-roster
pioneer Sy Reich for the October 1958
issue of Railroad Magazine.
The FA was conceived and born
under handicaps both externally and
internally rooted. Alco was a steam
builder but had been turning out
yard
and passenger diesels, and it
recog
nizedsome observers say belatedly
that it must strive to
with
compete
Electro-Motive in the road-freighter
market. World War II intervened,
though,
and restrictions were placed
all locomotive builders
by the War
Production Board. Alco
For Cuba Railroad
For Cuba
forced model
a "class" system for diesels left over
from the steam era. As dieselization
gained strength, however, so did a
on
General notes
'
28].
the system is only partially in ev
idence in the 1950-1952 Locomotive
Cyclopedia [Simmons-Boardman Pub
CANADA
CANADIAN NATIONAL
8
FA1
9400-9407
page
apparently
designations for diesels upon Alco.
EMD long had adhered to a systematic
series of model designations, but
some railroads had got along with
as
WESTERN MARYLAND
4
on
Railroads
205A/B-211A/B,
FA1
was
[see table
1948
1948
4200-4202
4300-4302
simply the "2000"). Alco
used unit specification numbers in
the DL (diesel locomotive) series rath
wise
SOO LINE
22
now-familiar "PA" like
power (the
ROCK ISLAND
was
limited
producing mostly switchers
hindered in its development
ger prime
and
of a
to
was
big
which the builder
considered essential for a successful
mover
TRAINS
27
Cuisinier in his definitive illustrated
mechanical history of Alco cabs, "In
Logical
Progression" [January-Feb
March-April 1972 Ex
tra 2200 South], the 244 engine pro
gram was begun while the 241 was
still abuilding. The two engines rep
ruary 1972 and
resented different factions of think
ing within the company; the 241 was
a project of the Alco engine plant (the
old Mcintosh & Seymour facility at
Auburn, N.Y.), and the 244 was the
creation of the
Schenectady.
THE V12 244 ENGINE -corporate vic
tor over the 241 and the heart of the FA.
in the engine model number represent
the year an engine first was started
up). Alcos goal was an engine capable
of higher horsepower than that which
its in-line 539 (found in switchers
and the DL109 passenger units) could
produce. Both the 241 and 244 are Vtype. Except for the MLW 1800 h.p.
units built for CN, all FA series units
when built were powered by 12-cylinder 244's; the later "4" series have
road freighter. In a historical sense,
the status of Alco as the No. 2 diesellocomotive builder of its time and the
mixed success of the FA (modest by
EMD F standards but whopping com
pared with other builders' freight
cabs) seem properly oriented.
Ironically, the FA can be consid
ered a by-product of two other design
programs by Alco-GE. Apparently the
244 engine was the result of a followup program begun when dissatisfac
tion set in with the development of
the 241, an earlier model; and the
carbody design was taken from that
for the "2000."
As years have passed, diesel enthu
siasts seem to have unintentionally
slighted General Electric by minimiz
ing the firm's participation in the Al
co-GE partnership. This may be be
cause we have focused our attention
on the distinctive-sounding Alco 244
engine, or because GE since has come
into its own as a major domestic
or
possibly
even
12-cylinder251B's.
The war interrupted the
gram, and 1943 apparently
Specification
Nos.
DL213A
DL212A, DL212B
DL213A. DL213B
DL218
DL219
Notes:
12-cylinder
test
244
progressed,
it
was
tion status; but the 241 was not.
Despite its defeat corporately, the
241 project did materialize in the
form of three locomotives. This A-B-A
set, tabbed the "Black Maria," actual
ly was used for test purposes more
than as a demonstrator.
Black Maria bore scant lettering
what else? paint. The
on its black
carbody styling was similar to the
DL109's. The 1500 h.p. units tested
equals FA
Engine
Years Built
Quantity
Notes
1 2-244B
424
FB1
1500
1500
28 built by MLW
20 built by MLW
FA1
1600
1 2-244C
1945-1950
1945-1950
1950
FB1
1600
1 2-244C
1950
FA2
1600
1950-1956
359
45 built
FB2
1600
12-244D,
1 2-244G
12-244D,
1950-1956
1950-1955
203
21 built
FPB2
FPA4
1600
FPB4
1800
1800
1 2-244B
1951-1955
1958-1959
1958-1959
233
21
16
by MLW
24
by MLW
19 built by MLW
14 built by MLW
36
All built
14
All built
71
by MLW
by MLW
1972 and page 21, March-April 1974.
source: Extra 2200 South, page 27, March-April
National 6758-6759,
Production totals exclude five units listed in summary on page 27: Canadian
6858-6859, and Canadian Pacific 401 6 (2nd).
Data
28
JUNE
1975
J. Parker Lamb
given produc
H.p.
1600
buyers East
models. Problems
to dis
enchantment by some people within
the company, and the Schenectady
group launched the 244. Although the
244 and the 241 shared a common 9x
10-inch bore and stroke, they other
wise were different and had no other
major interchangeable parts. As the
two
FA1
FPA2
Other FA1
241 pro
was the
Model
12-244G
12-244D
1 2-244D
12-251B
12-251B
r^
ensued; these eventually led
"Alco" is easier to enunciate than
"Alco-GE." In FA's, the engine and
many other innards were Alco prod
ucts, but the electrical system and the
carbody styling came from General
Electric.
According to Alco authority W. A.
DL208A, DL208B
DL209A, DL209B
DL208C
DL209C
DL212A
^^^feffS
date of the construction of the first
just because
When DL
at
project had
241
been Alcos initial reaction to the FT
(in Alco parlance, the last two digits
Alco.
builder,
headquarters plant
The
ALL ROAD FREfGHTS
line L&NE
A-B-A trio
were
handled
crosses
on bridge
by FA's. An
the NYO&W at
CampbellHall, N. Y., on February 17,
1957. Now both lines
are
memories.
fc^s
Clifford A
ERIE's lines east of
dom.
near
A
Marion, O.,
quartet hustles
Lottsville,
Pa.
first
were
New
(above), and
the road's FA
England
98
FA2 737 prances
Redanz.
king
eastward
by NYC
Hudson 5373 waiting with a mail train at Marion (below
left) in 1956. Mechanics at Marion (below) seem busy.
r*
A
Jim
Shaughnessy.
LEHIGH VALLEY owned 42 EMD F's and 32 Alco versions,
were common sights most everywhere on LV.
August 20, 1965, an A-B-A set departed eastward from
Sayre, Pa. Some LV FA's were traded in for Alco Centurys.
so
the FA's
On
William A. Burke
Jim Shaughnessy.
**..
^f^^S^
-*ij*!;;ai
"^JLA^
iUsS?
Keith E
all together, as cab-booster, or as cabcab on Delaware & Hudson, New Ha
and
& Aroostook, and
other roads. They are be
lieved to have been removed from
service before 1947, although some
months passed in that year before the
units were cut up. Meanwhile, the
first FAl's
or "1500's," as they were
known had been built and delivered.
Black Maria and the 1500's, inciden
ven,
possibly
Bangor
on
tally, were opposite in prime-mover
design but sported nearly identical
electrical systems and basic interior
arrangements.
The
to
be
survivor
of the
production-
tussle, the 244 engine, proved
status
a
less-than-100-per-cent
success
mechanically, owing in large part to
problems with turbochargers. But
the styling of the units in which the
244's were placed muted somewhat
the lackluster mechanical perform-
least as far as enthusiasts are
concerned.
The 1500's, like their big brother
2000 h.p. passenger units, excelled
in esthetics because they were dif
ferent in design from the competition.
The man responsible for the famous
"Alco" mask
the flat face with grilled
headlight and wraparound nose was
an employee of the "other" member of
the marketing team. General Electric.
He was Ray Patten, Director of the Ap
pearance Design Division of GE.
The effort to design a fresh profile
was centered on the 2000, but it fol
lowed that the freight version also
would have it. The goal, of course,
was for the outline to be different at a
glance from the lines of EMD, and
this was attacked with the slogan "Eye
ance, at
appeal
creates
buy appeal."
Patten's approach centered on three
factors: appearance: engineering lim
itations; and visibility for the engi
neer. The goal was "a locomotive so
distinctive and so powerful looking
that it actually helps the railroads to
sell their services to passengers and
shippers." The new Alco-GE product
had to be "powerful, fast, dramatic."
Patten also noted that "the blunt nose,
the wrap-around construction, and
the grill design which eventually were
early draw
accepted appeared in
ings." In an oblique slap at EMD, Pat
ten defended Alco-GE's so-called flat
face, or "vertical nose," on the ground
that "when two 'A' units are used in
multiple with one of them coupled to
.
a
30
JUNE
designer
1975
of "flat
nose
.
the Alco-GE nose provides
close conjunction which allows the
locomotive to become a more integral
part of the train. With the slanted
a
RAY PATTEN,
.
train
...
Ardinger; J
David
Ingles Collection
by contrast, a definite break
would result between the locomotive
and the first following car." In that
era, the coupling of two cab units nose
to nose was unthinkable; but in that
instance, Patten's defense would hold
up even better.
The influence of the flat Alco-GE
nose of the FA's and PA's was evident
later in GE's turbines for the Union
Pacific and in electrics for the Penn
sylvania and the New Haven.
nose,
The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio was pre
destined to be the first FA owner. Fol
lowing the consolidation in 1940 of
the Gulf, Mobile & Northern and Mo
bile & Ohio, the road
led by miniempire builder Isaac Burton (Ike)
Tigrett was working toward total
dieselization as its next goal. It re
mained loyal to the American Loco
motive Company and apparently was
ready to accept the builder's first road
freight type of diesel whatever the
configuration. The builder's internal
factors deemed the flat-faced "1500"
to be the product.
The initial A-B-A set bore numbers
1500, 1501. and 1502, but these units
probably were built for the GM&O
and were utilized mainly for publicity
purposes by Alco-GE. The trio bore
some unique details in
design for Al
co 's freight line and shared some oth
ers with the cabs of the initial GM&O
order. One difference obvious at a
glance is the headlight casing, which
i\ lower on the earlier units.
Like that of the competitive F's from
EMD, however, the basic exterior de
sign of the FA's lasted from the first
units for GM&O right through to the
SEABOARD AIR LINE owned only 3
FA1 cabs and 3 FBI boosters. None
sur
vived until the SCL merger in 1967, since
they had been traded in on SAL GP40's.
Florida
was
home for SAL's Alcos;
November 20, 1965,
F3's,
two
onto
a
and
a
a
cab,
a
on
booster,
Geep waited to couple
freight at Wildwood.
northbound
Other than on GM&O, few and
far between in the South
TENNESSEE CENTRAL owned five FA
cabs and
a
No. 801
was
booster. In November 1957,
rebuilt in kind at Alco,
it
enjoyed a longer life than the
In May 1962, black-and-white
No. 801 led a trio of RS3's upgrade
near
Crossville, Tenn., on the daily
freight from Emory Gap to Nashville.
so
others.
last passenger units for CN in 1959.
In 1946 the partnership of Alco-GE
laid on an advertising campaign typ
ical of the postwar boom for all build
ers. This was not confined to "2000's"
and "1500's" either
for from one
month to the next in the trade press,
Alco stressed steam-locomotive boil
ers or (with GE, of course) diesels
from the aforementioned down to the
"middleweight champion," the 70-ton
switcher.
"Built to operate 1,000,000 miles
before major overhaul" was only one
claim for the 1500 made in a series
of two-page slick-paper four-color
spreads touting the new freighter.
Cutaways of the new 12-cylinder 244;
graphs showing a comparison of
weights and power in generator de
velopment; a retouched photo of the
cab interior showing placement of
the control stand and the good visibil
ity from the engineer's seat each ad
concentrated on a different selling
point of the new diesel freighter pro
duced by the old steam/electric build
ers.
Much
"mighty
was
new
made, of
course, of the
turbosupercharger" on
it was that animal plus
the 1500; but
occasional crankshaft failures in
some early units which kept AlcoGE's F's a distant second in sales to
EMD's. The turbochargers were sus
ceptible to failures from overheating,
and problems with the turbos led to
trouble in the exhaust manifold. Ac
cording to author Cuisinier, in addi
tion to tarnishing the builder's image,
244 troubles may have strained the
Alco-GE relationship, which termi
nated in 1953.
ON
March
spotted
a
10,
1963, what should be
track at New Haven next to
on a
trio of NH FA's but
a
pair of GE U25B
demonstrators. The U-boats effected a
final irony for the Alcos' builder by
FA's
supplanting
systems
at
one
on
time
several railroads.
or
another have
operated FA's. Of the two dozen U.S.
owners which bought FA's new, all
but 4
Amos G. Hewitt Jr.
The marketability of the FA's suf
fered on another front service ca
pability. There was no room for a
steam boiler in an FA1, and the era
was still also the heyday of the pas
senger train. The FA1 was billed as a
dual-service unit (and some roads in
deed classed them as "FP" types), but
Robert Hale
LyOVERAGE of the Alco FA
continues
next
illustrated
on
the
FA2
month
short
with
features
demonstrators,
American FA2 owners, and
FA's in Canada and Mexico,
plus
a
special
tribute
to
Canadian National's FPA4's.
32
JUNE
1975
in the boosters was there room
for a steam generator. Some roads
wanted a true dual-service unit.
Alco-GE's answer to this need came
in 1950 along with the upgrading of
its entire line. The new freight cab
came to be known as the FA2. (Fol
lowing the original GM&O order, Alco
had issued subsequent specification
numbers for the FAl's when minor
mechanical adjustments had been
made. These were DL208A, DL208B,
only
and DL208C, and with the latter spec
number Alco somewhat arbitrarily
increased the horsepower rating of
the FA1 to 1600. These 1600 h.p.
FAl's are listed separately from the
1500 h.p. versions in the accompany
ing summary on pages 26-27.) The
model number of the main generator
is the differentiation between the FA1
and the FA2.
Although the FA2 is only 2 feet
longer than the FA1, by reconfigur
ing certain components such as the
radiator section, Alco gained 6 feet
of space at the rear of the cab unit in
which could be placed a steam genera
tor. But the change apparently came
too late to make much of a dent in the
market. The only American roads
known to have purchased the passen
ger version (models FPA2 and FPB2)
were Baltimore & Ohio, Great North
ern, Louisville & Nashville, and Mis
souri Pacific. And of the four, only
GN and MoPac are known to have
habitually
used
FA's
on
regularly
scheduled passenger trains.
Including roads which acquired
FA's through merger, and the Long
Island (the only American FA owner
which didn't buy any FA's new from
Alco), 28 U.S. lines and the 2 trans
continental Canadian companies have
owned FA's. In Mexico, all 5 major
bought FAl's;
and 10 of these
for the FA2's/
FB2's.
Other old Alco friends besides
GM&O plunged in early with both
feet. In the East, neighbors New Ha
ven and New York Central each put
sets of 1500's on their east-west New
England freight routes NH on the
Maybrook line, and NYC (which be
came the owner of the most FA's
197) on the Boston & Albany. Loyal
little Green Bay & Western started its
road-diesel program which to this
date still is all-Alco. And out West,
Union Pacific acquired the first of
what became 44 A-B duos.
The year 1948 was the biggest for
FAl's. Other Eastern carriers fol
lowed the lead of NH and NYC. Erie
installed 1 1 A-B-B-A sets, Pennsy 4
cab-booster combos, Lehigh Valley 10
of the same, and Reading 6. Little
bridge route Lehigh & New England
entrusted virtually all road jobs to a
fleet of 10 cabs and 3 boosters. In the
Midwest, Soo's fleet of 22 cabs and
Rock Island's 8 A-B-A sets were the
biggest FA groups; and in the south
central states, Frisco's 16 and MoPac's
10 A-B-A trios and Katy's 9 A-A pairs
established FA strongholds. Great
Northern and Spokane, Portland &
Seattle were the only FA1 buyers in
the Northwest.
Other roads were to opt for groups
of FAl's and FA2's, and the types
could be found most everywhere in
the U.S. except certain areas such
as Arizona, the Carolinas, and upper
New England. With all builders, how
ever, road-switcher sales began to
outpace those of covered wagons in
the early Fifties, and FA output
slowed to a trickle by 1953 and came
to a virtual halt thereafter. By the end
of the Sixties, only a few remnants of
American FA fleets were still around
on roads such as Penn Central, West
ern Maryland, SP&S, and L&N.
As FA's began to become trade-in
fodder on second-generation highwere
repeat
customers
horsepower hood
units, a few went to
EMD and some succumbed in favor
of Alco Century types. But ironically,
a goodly number of FA's were turned
in for U-boats to take advantage of the
compatibility of such components as
trucks and traction motors. The "oth
er" partner of the old Alco-GE alliance
wound up earning something of a
just reward. J,