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TRANSCRIPT
Louis A Marre Collection
J David Ingles.
The million-J. DAVID INGLES
I CA-THUNK. CA-THUNK. The
tower operator busily squeezedand slammed the electropneumaticinterlocking control handles. "First
NY-99's on it," he said. His manner
was the matter-of-fact, not-too-busy-to-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 slipswitches and across the multiple-track main line to the sunny side of
the tracks to set up for photos. Plentyof 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 perfectA-B-B-B-A formation rattled throughthe plant, then accelerated, pouringout the black smoke characteristic of
their breed as they notched up for
Marion, O. Their stark, squarish out
lines were framed against the back
light of the glinting low sunlight of
the late afternoon. Box cars and pig
gybacks swished through the turn
outs, singing a song of big-time rail
roading. A bay-windowed red hack,
hanging on for dear life, bounced byand brought down the curtain on myintroduction to the brand-new Erie
Lackawanna.
Two more symbol freights, one
eastbound and one westbound, and
each also with Alco covered wagonsin charge, soon followed.
TRAINS 23
© 2014 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com
J. Parker Lamb
] Parker Lamb.
GULF, MOBILE & OHIO concentrated its FA's on lines south of St. Louis.
The FA's worked on all types of trains. Two units on a local left Meridian,Miss, (above) in August 1950, and a quintet led a road freight through a snow-
covered cut near 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.
C. W. Jernstrom Collection, courtesy of Extra 2200 South. J. Parker Lamb.
Jim Shaughnessy.
NEW HAVEN'S FA's first were 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.
Jim SI
They bought big
Stan Kistler Dick Turner.
UNION PACIFIC was the only FA operator in the Southwest; it used the Alcos on the old
Los Angeles & Salt Lake. On October 30, 1950, in the days before nose M.U., two four-
unit 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).
To a Detroiter, such an experiencewith 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; all-
FA 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
given me a new perspective on the
former Erie, a 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 minoritylocomotives. FA's were a strong, com
pelling minority.
Today, FA's hang on in Canada and
in Mexico, but there are none servingas motive power in the United States.
Only on the Long Island Rail Road
can you see 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
to be replaced by an all-self-poweredfleet. 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 customers and sometimes an opportunistic 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 1401was
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 throughF9, including dual-service units such
as the FP7 as well as boosters was
close to 6500.
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, squarish but
not awkward lines, and generally at
tractive screenwork. For those per
sons who would literally look down
on the FA, the covering over the single72-inch radiator cooling fan toward
the rear of the roof of the unit is a
topside focal point. Augment these
features with the unforgettable ruggedsound of Alco's VI 2 244 four-cycleturbocharged 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
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 equippedwith steam generators to heat passen
ger trains carry FPA or FPB designations. However, for practicality, and
to avoid confusion with the simple"F" label uniformly given to Electro-
Motive'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 Alco-
GE 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
elmain generator) of 1600 h.p., termed
FA2(and FB2). Variants are late FAl'son which the rated horsepower was
1600 instead of 1500; an adaptationof the "2" series for passenger work
(FPA and FPB); and the "4" series.
The "4" series was an 1800 h.p. version which boasted a newer primemover. As it turned out, the only ex
amples built were passenger units byMLW in 1958 and 1959 for Canadian
National.
The model designations taken for
granted and in universal usage todaywere not part of Alco-GE's lexicon in
the 1940's when the road-freight die-sel concept pioneered by Electro-Motive was developing. The first Alco-GE freight cab units were referred to
simply as "1500 s" for the rated horse-
TRAINS 25
1400 FA'S: AN ALCO ACCOUNTING
QTY. MODEL ROAD NOS.ANN AR80R
14 FA2 50/50A-56/56ABALTIMORE & OHIO
28 FA2 4000-4007,4018-4037
UNITED STATES
BUILT NOTES
1950 52A, 55A, SOA, 55 to Wabash 820-823 in 1964
1 950-1 953 4000-4037 delivered as 801 /80 1 A-837/837A (odd num
bers) 4028-4037 renumbered 4128-4137 in 1965
16 FB2 5000-5003.5009-5020 1950-1953 5000-5020 delivered as 801 X-837X, 81 7AX, 837AX (odd
numbers, not in same sequence) 5016-5020 renumbered
4106-41 10 in 1965
1950-1951
1950-1951
10 FPA2 4008-4017
5 FPB2 5004-5008
BURLINGTON NORTHERN
11 FA1 4100-4108,4112-4122
(even numbers)
1 FA2 4126
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN
2 FA2 4103A, 4104A
2 FB2 4103B, 4104B
ERIE (ERIE LACKAWANNA)
22 FA1 725A/D-735A/D
22 FB1 725B/C-735B/C
8 FA2 736A/D-739A/D8 FB2 736B/C-739B/CGREAT NORTHERN
1948-1950 Ex-SP&S 856-860, 862-867 All cai
name 4102, 4100. 4120. 4104
61 1-616 in 1972
1950 Ex-SP&S 869 Carried SPSS colors and nam
ed SP&S colors and
4116, 4108 to LI
1950
1950
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1603A, 1603D. acquired in 1951
Ex-AIco demonstrators 1603B, 1603C, acquired in 1951
4 FAT 276A/B. 310A/C1 FBI' 310B
4 FA1 440A/D, 442A/D4 FBI 440B/C, 442B/C2 FA2 278A, 279A
2 FB2 278B, 279B
2 FPA2 277A/B
GREEN BAY & WESTERN
5 FA1 501-503, 506-507
GULF. MOBILE & OHIO
55 FA1 700-754
29 FBI B1-B29
4 FBI- B30-B33
4 FB2 B34-B37
LEHIGH & NEW ENGLAND
10 FA1 701-710
3 FB1 751-753
LEHIGH VALLEY
10 FA1 530-548 (even numbers)
10 FBI 53 1-549 (odd numbers)8 FA2 580-594 (even numbers)
4 FB2 58 1-587 (odd numbers)
LONG ISLAND
8 FA1 611-618
1947-1949 To Erie Lackawanna 7251 /7254-7351 /7354 in 1960
1 947-1 949 To Erie Lackawanna 7252/7253-7352/7353 in 1 960
725A/D- 732A/D originally 709A/D= 71 6A/D.1950-1951 To Erie Lackawanna 7361/7364-7391/7394 in 1960
1950-1951 To Erie Lackawanna 7362/7363-7392/7393 in 1960,
1950
1950
1948-1949 To SP&S 862-865 in 1950
1948-1949 To SP&S 206-209 in 1950
1950 Ex-AIco demonstrators 1 602A/D
1950 Ex-AIco demonstrators 1602B/C1950
1947-1949 501-503 carried KGB&W initials for subsidiary Kewaunee.
Green Bay & Western 506 delivered as 503 (1st), re
numbered in 1949 upon delivery of 503 (2nd).
1946-1947 700-701 originally Alco-GE 1500, 1502
1947-1949 B1 originally Alco-GE 1501
1950
1955
1 1 FA2 600-610
LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE
1 1 FA1 332-341, 333 (2nd)
3
39
FB1 327-329
FA2 300-321.353-369
FB2 200-211,330-331
5 FPA2 350-352. 383-384
MISSOURI KANSAS -TEXAS
18 FA1 326A/C-334A/C
1948-1949 To L&N 332-341 in 1962
1948-1949 To L&N 327-329 in 1962.
1948
1948
1950-1951
1950-1951
1947-1950 Power cab cars Ex-BN 4102. 4100. 4120. 4104, 41 16,
4108; ex-PC 1333, 1330
1951-1956 Power cab cars. Ex NYC 1302; ex-L&N 317, 309. 315,
314. 320, 321. ex-WM 303. 304. 301. 302
1948-1949 Ex-L&NE 701 710, ex-SLSF 5205 (EMD engine) 333
(2nd) renumbered 319 (2nd)1948-1949 Ex-L&NE 751-753
1952-1956 317, 309. 315, 314. 310. 321 to LI 601-606 in 1971
1952-1956 203-209, 330-331, 210-211 renumbered 385-395 in
1965 386, 395, 392 converted to midtram control cars
2000 (later renumbered 2001) and 2002-2003
1952-1953
1948-1949 331A
xcep
MISSOURI
20 FA1
10
10
5
43
40
FBI
FA1-
FB1-
FA2
FB2
19 FPA2
NEW HAVE
30 FA1
15 FBI
5 FB2
NEW YORK
44 FA1
331A (2nd)
PACIFIC
301-320
301 B 31 OB
321-330
321B-325B
331-360. 374-386
331B-335B. 345B-
356B, 370B-392B
361-373. 387-392
N
0400-0429
0450-0464
465-469
CENTRAL
1000 1043
23 FB1 3300-3322
80 FA2 1044-1123
50 FB2 3323-3372
PENN CENTRAL
4 FA1 1330-1333
2 FBI 3390. 3392
1 FA2 1350
3 FB2 3393, 3395-3396
PENNSYLVANIA
recked in 1950, replaced by FA2 331A (2nd) All
328A, 329A/C, 330A, 331A/C re-engmed byElectro-Motive in 1956-1959 329A/C re-engmed by Alco
with 251 engines in 1956 All renumbered 82A/C-90A/Cin 1960 After sale to Precision National Corp. 83C and
89A leased in 19691 970 by Toledo, Peoria & Western
1950 Re-engmed by Electro-Motive in 1957 Renumbered 87A
in 1960
1948
1948
1950
1950
1951-1954 In 1962, shortly before their retirement, some FA2's and
1951-1954 FPA2s were given numbers in 1 300 series 1000 numbers
above the old numbers to avoid conflicts with renumbered
1952-1954 Geeps
1947 0401, 0418. 0426. 0428 to PC 1330-1333 in 1969
1947 0456, 0462 lo PC 3390, 3392 in 19691 95 1 465, 467, 468 to PC 3393. 3395, 3396 in 1 969
1947-1949 1000, 1031. 1033 renumbered 1119, 1056. 1110 (all
2nd) in 1964 to fill numbers vacated by wrecked units
1009. 11 10 (2nd). 1119 (2nd) renumbered 1300, 13101319 in 1968 to conform to Penn Central renumbering
1947-1949 Delivered as 2300-2322, renumbered in 1951 3322 re
numbered 3368 (2nd) in 1964 to fill number vacated bywrecked unit
1951-1952 Following units renumbered in 1968 to 1300 series with
same last two digits to conform to Penn Central renumber
ing 1045, 1049, 1050, 1051. 1054. 1055, 1061 1069
1071, 1073. 1075, 1076. 1080-1084 1086 1087
1089, 1091, 1098. 1099, 1102, 1104 1108 1111
1113 1302 to LI 600 in 1973 1350 to PC 13501951-1952
1947
1951
Ex-NH 0401. 0418. 0426, 0428 1333 1330 to LI
617-618 in 1973
Ex-NH 0456. 0462
Ex-NYC 1350, nee 1050, only former NYC FA actuallyto be relettered PC
Ex-NH 465. 467, 468, Other ex-NH units were assignedPC numbers but were not renumbered
4 FA1 9600-9603 1948
4 FBI 9600B-9603B 1948
4 FAT 9604-9607 1950
4 FBI' 9604B-9607B 1950
24 FA2 9608-9631 1951
12 FB2 9608B-9630B
(even numbers) 1951
READING
6 FA1 300-305 1948
6 FBI 300B-305B 1948
ROCK ISLAND
16 FA1 145-160
ST, LOUIS-SAN FRANCISCO
32 FA1 5200-5231
16 FB1 5300-5315
SEABOARD
3 FA1 4200-4202
3 FBI 4300-4302
SOO LINE
22 FA1 205A/B-211A/B,
2220A/B-2223A/B
SPOKANE. PORTLAND & SEATTLE
16 FA1 850-865
1948 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
1948 Re-engined by EMD in 1955-1956, renumbered 1 28B-
135B (not in sequence). Renumbered 28-35 c 1964
1 32B-1 35B equipped with Blomberg trucks by RI c 1 963.
19481949 5200-5209. 521 1-5213. 5215-5219 re-engined by EMD
in 1955-1957 5205 to L&N 333 (2nd) in 1964
1948 1949 Re-engined by EMD in 1955-1957 5301-5304, 5307-
5310 renumbered 190-193. 197-199 in 1966.
1948
1948
2 FA1- 866-867
2 FA2 868-869
10 FB1 200-209
2 FBI- 210-211
2 FB2 212-213
TENNESSEE CENTRAL
5 FA1 801-805
1 FB1 801B
UNION PACIFIC
44
44
FA1
B1
WABASH
10 FA1
5 FBI
4 FA2
WESTERN MARYLAND
4 FA2 301-304
1600-1643
1600B/C-1642B/C
(even numbers)
1200/A-1204/A1200B-1204B
820-823
1948-1949
1948-1949
1950
1950
1948-1949
1950
1950
1949
1949
1947-1948
1947 1948
1949
1949
1950
862-865 ex-GN 440A/D. 442A/D 868 to Pacific Great
Eastern (through Alco Leasing Co) for parts c 1970
856 860, 862-865 to BN 4100-4118 (even numbers).
To BN 4120, 4122
869 to BN 4126
206-209 ex-GN 440B/C, 442B/C
All SP&S FA's originally numbered 850A-1 /2-868A-1 /2
(even numbers) and FB's 856B-1 / 2-868B-1 / 2 (even
numbers)
1600-1625 originally 1500A-1523A. 1542A-1543A
1600B/C-1616B/C originally 1524B-1541B
Renumbered 805-814 in 1961
Renumbered 800-804 in 1961.
Ex-AA 52A, 55A, 50A. 55
To LI 609. 610. 607, 608 in 1972
CANADIAN NATIONAL
8 FA1 9400-9407
25 FA2 9408-9456
(even numbers)
15 FB2 9409-9437
(odd numbers)6 FPA2 6706-6711
6 FPB2 6806-6811
CANADA
9400 donated to National Museur
nology, Ottawa, Ont
of Science & Tech-
2
2
34
FPA4M
FPB4M
FPA4
FPB4
6758-6759
6858-6859
6760-6793
6860-6871
1951-1952
1955
1955
1958
1958
1958-1959
1958-1959
Renumbered 6750-6755
6759
Renumbered 6850-6855
6859
Rebuilt from 6755. 6751
Rebuilt from 6855, 6851
6755, 6751 rebuilt to 6758-
6855, 6851 rebuilt to 6858-
CANADIAN PACIFIC
4000-4027. 4016 (2nd) 1949-1950
(1966)
24
20
6
7
4400-4423 1949-1950
4042-4051,4084-4093 1951-1953
4465-4470 1953
4082-4083.4094-4098 1953
4463-4464 1953
4016 (1st) wrecked in 1957, 4016 (2nd) constructed i
1966 from parts of RS10 8557 and FA1 4014
FBI
FA2
FB2
FPA2
2 FPB2
Canada note;
All CN units and all CP units except 4000-4007 and 4400-4403 (
Locomotive Works
/hich were built by Alco) were built by Montreal
CHIHUAHUA-PACIFIC
1 FA1- 500
NATIONAL OF MEXICO
18 FA2 6507A-6522A.6519A
(2nd), 6534A
23 FB2 6507B-6522B, 6519B
(2nd), 6523B-6527B,
6534B
18 FPA2 6500-6501, 6502A-
6506A, 6523A-6533A
11 FPB2 6502B-6506B.
6528B-6533B
PACIFIC
4 FPA2 901-904
SONORA-BAJA CALIFORNIA
1 FAr 23039
UNITED SOUTHEASTERN
MEXICO
Originally SCOP 23039. to CH-P 500. to SCOP 7121-5,
to FCS 215. to FCS 305, to FUS 305
1951-1954 6519A/B wrecked in 1952, replaced with identical new
set6519A/B (2nd) 6522A to FUS 314' (See FUS listing.)
1951-1955
1950-1954 6500-6501 to FCS 306-307? (See FUS listing
Lettered SCOP To CH-P 500. to SCOP 7121-5, to FCS
215, to FCS 305, to FUS 305 See Mexico notes.
FA1
FA1-
FPA2
FA2
201-204
305
306-307
308-314
1949
1950
1950
1952
Originally SCOP 23031-23034. to SCOP 7121-1-7121-4,to FCS 21 1-214, to FCS 201-204
Originally SCOP 23039. to CH-P 500. to SCOP 7121-5,
to FCS 215, to FCS 305
Ex-NdeM 6500-6501
308-313 originally SCOP 7121-8-7121-13. to FCS 218-
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 government roads other than NdeM); UdeY United Railways of Yucatan
Sources differ on renumbering of former NdeM units on FUS NdeM 6522A may have become FCS 307,
then 309 (2nd), NdeM 6501 may have become FCS 306; NdeM 6500 may have become UdeY 325, then
FCS 314, then FCS 310 (2nd) SCOP FA2 7121-9. rather than FAr 7 121-5, may have been CH-P 500
Some sources say SCOP 7 1 21 -1 -71 21 -4 and 7121-8-7121-11 all were lettered for Sonora-Baja California,
with the first group going to FCS in 1950 and the second in 1957
EXPORTBRAZIL (Central of Brazil)
12 FA1 3201-3212 1948
CUBA (Consolidated Railroads of Cuba)
6 FA2 1600-1605 1951
6 FA2 1650-1655 1951
PAKISTAN (North Western Railway)
23 FA2 2001 2023 1951-1953
General notes
The designation FA1'
and FBI*
indicates 1600 h p
Data for this summary was drawn from "Alco FA FB Tally.'' pages 26-27, March-Apr
and other rosters in that publication
For Cuba Railroad Company,For Cuba Northern Railways (lettered "Norte")
5"-6" auge. el trucks, buffers
s (specification riumbers DL208C and DL209C)1972 Extra 2200 South.
power (the now-familiar "PA" like
wise was simply the "2000"). Alco
used unit specification numbers in
the DL (diesel locomotive) series rath
er 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
[see table on page 28].Railroads apparently forced model
designations for diesels upon Alco.
EMD long had adhered to a systematic
series of model designations, but
some railroads had got along with
a "class" system for diesels left over
from the steam era. As dieselization
gained strength, however, so did a
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
as April 1952. Interestingly, though,the system is only partially in ev
idence in the 1950-1952 Locomotive
Cyclopedia [Simmons-Boardman Pub
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 road-
switcher model designations appear
only in the tabular specifications and
not in any accompanying Alco-GE ad
vertising. Railroads gradually caughton.
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 January1954 Trains & Travel, accompany
ing a story byWallace W. Abbey, probably 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 apparentlywas one on Louisville & Nashville
locomotives compiled by diesel-roster
pioneer Sy Reich for the October 1958issue 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 yardand passenger diesels, and it recognizedsome observers say belatedlythat it must strive to compete with
Electro-Motive in the road-freightermarket. World War II intervened,though, and restrictions were placedon all locomotive builders by the WarProduction Board. Alco was limited to
producing mostly switchers and was
hindered in its development of a bigger prime mover which the builderconsidered essential for a successful
TRAINS 27
Alco.
THE V12 244 ENGINE -corporate vic
tor over the 241 and the heart of the FA.
road freighter. In a historical sense,
the status of Alco as the No. 2 diesel-
locomotive builder of its time and the
mixed success of the FA (modest byEMD F standards but whopping com
pared with other builders' freightcabs) 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 follow-
up 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
builder, or possibly even just because
"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.
Cuisinier in his definitive illustrated
mechanical history of Alco cabs, "In
Logical Progression" [January-February 1972 and March-April 1972 Ex
tra 2200 South], the 244 engine pro
gram was begun while the 241 was
still abuilding. The two engines represented different factions of think
ing within the company; the 241 was
a project of the Alco engine plant (theold Mcintosh & Seymour facility at
Auburn, N.Y.), and the 244 was the
creation of the headquarters plant at
Schenectady. The 241 project had
been Alcos initial reaction to the FT
(in Alco parlance, the last two digitsin the engine model number representthe year an engine first was started
up). Alcos goal was an engine capableof 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 V-
type. Except for the MLW 1800 h.p.units built for CN, all FA series units
when built were powered by 12-cyl-inder 244's; the later "4" series have
12-cylinder251B's.The war interrupted the 241 pro
gram, and 1943 apparently was the
date of the construction of the first
two 12-cylinder test models. Problems
ensued; these eventually led 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
244 progressed, it was given production 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 letteringon its black what else? paint. The
carbody styling was similar to the
DL109's. The 1500 h.p. units tested
When DL equals FA
Specification Nos. Model H.p. Engine Years Built Quantity Notes
DL208A, DL208B FA1 1500 1 2-244B 1945-1950 424 28 built by MLW
DL209A, DL209B FB1 1500 1 2-244B 1945-1950 233 20 built by MLW
DL208C FA1 1600 1 2-244C 1950 21
DL209C FB1 1600 1 2-244C 1950 16
DL212A FA2 1600 12-244D,
1 2-244G 1950-1956 359 45 built by MLW
DL213A FB2 1600 12-244D,
12-244G 1950-1956 203 21 built by MLW
DL212A, DL212B FPA2 1600 12-244D 1950-1955 71 19 built by MLW
DL213A. DL213B FPB2 1600 1 2-244D 1951-1955 24 14 built by MLW
DL218 FPA4 1800 12-251B 1958-1959 36 All built by MLW
DL219 FPB4 1800 12-251B 1958-1959 14 All built by MLW
Notes:
Data source: Extra 2200 South, page 27, March-April 1972 and page 21, March-April 1974.
Production totals exclude five units listed in summary on page 27: Canadian National 6758-6759,
6858-6859, and Canadian Pacific 401 6 (2nd).
28 JUNE 1975
^^^feffS
Other FA1 buyers East
r^
J. Parker Lamb
ALL ROAD FREfGHTS on bridgeline L&NE were handled by FA's. An
A-B-A trio crosses the NYO&W at
CampbellHall, N. Y., on February 17,
1957. Now both lines are memories.
fc^s
Clifford A Redanz.
ERIE's lines east of Marion, O., were the road's FA king
dom. A quartet hustles first New England 98 eastward
near Lottsville, Pa. (above), and FA2 737 prances 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,
so the FA's were common sights most everywhere on LV.
On August 20, 1965, an A-B-A set departed eastward from
Sayre, Pa. Some LV FA's were traded in for Alco Centurys.
William A. Burke
Jim Shaughnessy.
**..
^f^^S^-*ij*!;;ai
iUsS?
"^JLA^
Keith E Ardinger; J David Ingles Collection
all together, as cab-booster, or as cab-cab on Delaware & Hudson, New Ha
ven, and Bangor & Aroostook, and
possibly on 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
tally, were opposite in prime-mover
design but sported nearly identical
electrical systems and basic interior
arrangements.
The survivor of the production-status tussle, the 244 engine, provedto be 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-
RAY PATTEN, designer of "flat nose
ance, at 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 profilewas 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
appeal creates buy appeal."Patten's approach centered on three
factors: appearance: engineering lim
itations; and visibility for the engineer. The goal was "a locomotive so
distinctive and so powerful lookingthat it actually helps the railroads to
sell their services to passengers and
shippers." The new Alco-GE producthad to be "powerful, fast, dramatic."
Patten also noted that "the blunt nose,
the wrap-around construction, and
the grill design which eventually were
accepted appeared in . . . early draw
ings." In an oblique slap at EMD, Pat
ten defended Alco-GE's so-called flat
face, or "vertical nose," on the groundthat "when two 'A' units are used in
multiple with one of them coupled to
a train ... the Alco-GE nose providesa close conjunction which allows the
locomotive to become a more integral
part of the train. With the slanted
nose, 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.
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 mini-
empire 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 publicitypurposes 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
30 JUNE 1975
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; on
November 20, 1965, a cab, a booster,
two F3's, and a Geep waited to coupleonto a northbound freight at Wildwood.
Other than on GM&O, few and
far between in the South
TENNESSEE CENTRAL owned five FA
cabs and a booster. In November 1957,
No. 801 was rebuilt in kind at Alco,
so it enjoyed a longer life than the
others. In May 1962, black-and-white
No. 801 led a trio of RS3's upgradenear Crossville, Tenn., on the daily
freight from Emory Gap to Nashville.
last passenger units for CN in 1959.
In 1946 the partnership of Alco-GE
laid on an advertising campaign typical 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 produced by the old steam/electric build
ers.
Much was made, of course, of the
"mighty new turbosupercharger" on
the 1500; but it was that animal plusoccasional crankshaft failures in
some early units which kept Alco-
GE'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.
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 month with
illustrated short features
on the FA2 demonstrators,
American FA2 owners, and
FA's in Canada and Mexico,
plus a special tribute to
Canadian National's FPA4's.
Amos G. Hewitt Jr.
only 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 cabcame to be known as the FA2. (Fol
lowing the original GM&O order, Alco
had issued subsequent specificationnumbers for the FAl's when minor
mechanical adjustments had been
made. These were DL208A, DL208B,
and DL208C, and with the latter spec
number Alco somewhat arbitrarilyincreased 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, onlyGN and MoPac are known to have
habitually used FA's on regularlyscheduled 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
ON March 10, 1963, what should be
spotted on a track at New Haven next to
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
supplanting FA's on several railroads.
systems at one time or another have
operated FA's. Of the two dozen U.S.
owners which bought FA's new, all
but 4 bought FAl's; and 10 of these
were repeat customers 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 putsets 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. Loyallittle 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 Englandentrusted 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 pairsestablished FA strongholds. Great
Northern and Spokane, Portland &
Seattle were the only FA1 buyers in
the Northwest.
Other roads were to opt for groupsof FAl's and FA2's, and the typescould 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 outputslowed to a trickle by 1953 and came
to a virtual halt thereafter. By the endof 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 high-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 turnedin 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,
32 JUNE 1975