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ALCO FA

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

   CAPTION: ALCO FA

   ALCO FA
   GM&O #742, an ALCO FA-1, leads an eastbound freight train through
   Wikcliffe, KY, in June 1951.
   Power type Diesel-electric
   Builder American Locomotive Company (ALCO)
   Model FA
   Build date January 1946 —
   May 1959
   Total production 1,354
   AAR wheel arr. B-B
   Gauge 4  ft 8½  in (1435  mm)
   Length 53 ft 1 in (16.2 m)
   Total weight 243,000  lb (110,000  kg)
   255,000 lb (116,000 kg)
   (FPA-4/FPB-4)
   Fuel capacity 1,200  gal (4,542  L)
   Prime mover ALCO 244
   ALCO 251B (FPA-4/FPB-4)
   Engine type 4-stroke diesel
   Aspiration Turbocharger
   Displacement 8,256 in³ (135.2 L)
   Cylinders V12
   Cylinder size 9 in × 10.5 in
   (229 mm × 267 mm)
   Transmission DC generator,
   DC traction motors
   Top speed 65  mph (105  km/h)
   Power output 1,500  hp (1,119 kW) —
   early FA-1/FB-1
   1,600 hp (1,194 kW) —
   later FA-1/FB-1, FA-2/FB-2, FPA-2/FPB-2
   1,800 hp (1,343 kW) —
   FPA-4/FPB-4
   Tractive effort 60,875 lbf (271 kN)
   63,750 lbf (284 kN)
   (FPA-4/FPB-4)
   Locomotive brakes Dynamic, straight air
   Train brakes Air
   Locale North America

   The ALCO FA was a family of B-B diesel locomotives designed to haul
   freight trains. The locomotives were built in Schenectady, New York, by
   the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between January 1946 and May
   1959. They were of a cab unit design, and both cab-equipped lead ( A
   unit) FA and cabless booster ( B unit) FB models were built. A dual
   passenger-freight version, the FPA/FPB, was also offered. It was
   equipped with a steam generator for heating passenger cars.

   Externally, the FA and FB models looked very similar to the ALCO PA
   models produced in the same period. They shared many of the same
   characteristics both aesthetically and mechanically. It was the
   locomotive's mechanical qualities and newer locomotive models from both
   General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and General Electric (GE)
   that ultimately led to the retirement of the locomotive model from
   revenue service. Several examples of FAs and FBs have been preserved in
   railroad museums, a few of them in operational states on such lines as
   the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Models overview

   Three different models were offered. The FA-1/FB-1, which featured a
   1,500 hp (1,119 kW) rating, was built from January 1946 to October 1950
   with a 1,600 hp version produced between March and August 1950 (many
   early models were subsequently upgraded to 1,600 hp). The 1,600 hp
   (1,194 kW) FA-2/FB-2 (along with the FPA-2/FPB-2 variants) was built
   between October 1950 and June 1956. The FPA-4/FPB-4 was built between
   October 1958 and May 1959 by ALCO's Canadian subsidiary, Montreal
   Locomotive Works (MLW).

   Externally, the FA-1/FB-1 could be distinguished from the FA-2/FB-2
   (FPA-1/FPB-2) by the position of the radiator shutters. The FPA-4/FPB-4
   were visually different due to the additional radiator space that was
   positioned below the shutters. These Canadian variants were intended
   and used for high-speed passenger service, and remained in use into the
   1990s on VIA Rail Canada.

   The FA had the same distinctive styling as its larger cousin, the ALCO
   PA, with a long, straight nose tipped by a headlight in a square,
   slitted grille, raked windshields, and trim pieces behind the cab
   windows that lengthened and sleekened the lines. As with the PA, the
   overall design owed much to the Fairbanks-Morse Erie-built design,
   which had been constructed by ALCO's sales partner General Electric
   (GE) at their Erie, Pennsylvania, plant. GE's industrial designer Ray
   Patten styled the FA and FB, and many believe it likely that he took
   drawings of the Erie-built as a starting point, lengthening and
   squaring the nose and giving it a more aggressive look. The majority of
   FA components were compatible with the PA.

   As with the PA, the model 244 diesel prime mover proved to be the
   undoing of the PA, and the locomotives failed to capture a marketplace
   dominated by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). The later
   251-series engine, a vastly improved prime mover, was not available in
   time for ALCO to recover the loss of reputation caused by the
   unreliability of the 244. By the time the ALCO 251 engine was accepted
   into widespread use, General Electric had launched their entries into
   the diesel-electric locomotive market. General Electric eventually
   supplanted ALCO as a manufacturer of locomotives, leading to ALCO's
   demise in 1969.
   An eastbound Union Pacific freight train, pulled by a trio of ALCO
   model FA locomotives, passes near Cheyenne, Wyoming in September of
   1955.
   Enlarge
   An eastbound Union Pacific freight train, pulled by a trio of ALCO
   model FA locomotives, passes near Cheyenne, Wyoming in September of
   1955.

Original production

   Almost 800 FA units were built by ALCO and MLW, with just over 15% of
   them sold to New York Central Railroad, and another 5% each to Union
   Pacific Railroad, Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and Missouri Pacific
   Railroad. About half as many FB units were produced and sold in similar
   ratios.
   Units produced by ALCO and the Montreal Locomotive Works (1946–1956)
   class="navbox collapsible autocollapse"
   FA-1 units (cabs)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   Canadian National Railway

                                      8

   9400–9407
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                     28

   4000–4027
   Central of Brazil

                                     12

   3201–3212
   Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

                                     16

   145–160
   Erie Railroad

                                     22

   725A,D–735A,D
   Great Northern Railway

                                      8

   276A, B, 319A, c, 449A, D, 442A, D
   Green Bay and Western Railroad

                                      6

   501, 502, 503 (1st), 503 (2nd), 507
   Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

                                     55

   700–754
   Lehigh and New England Railroad

                                     10

   701–710
   Lehigh Valley Railroad

                                     10

   530–548 (even numbers only)
   Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway

                                     14

   205A, B–211A, B
   Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

                                     18

   326A, C–334A, C
   Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                     30

   301–330
   New York Central Railroad

                                     44

   1000–1043
   New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

                                     30

   0400–0429
   Pennsylvania Railroad

                                      8

   9600–9607
   Reading Railroad

                                      6

   300A–305A
   St. Louis - San Francisco Railway

                                     32

   5200–5231
   S.C.O.P. (Mexico)

                                      5

   23031–23034, 23039
   Seaboard Air Line Railroad

                                      3

   4200–4202
   Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

                                     14

   850A-1, -2-854A-1, -2, 856A-1, -2-860A-1, -2, 866A-1, -2
   Tennessee Central Railway

                                      5

   801–805
   Union Pacific Railroad

                                     46

   1500A–1523A, 1542A, 1543A, 1626–1643
   Wabash Railroad

                                     10

   1200, 1200A–1204, 1204A
   Wisconsin Central Railroad

                                      8

   2220A, B–2223A, B

   |}
   FA-2 units (cabs)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   American Locomotive Company (demonstrator units)

                                      4

   1600A, 1600D, 1602A, 1602D
   Ann Arbor Railroad

                                     14

   50, 50A–56, 56A
   Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

                                     38

   801, 801A–837, 837A (odd numbers only)
   Canadian National Railway

                                     25

   9408–9456 (even numbers only)
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                     20

   4042–4051, 4084–4093
   Consolidated Railway of Cuba

                                     12

   1600–1605, 1650–1655
   Erie Railroad

                                      8

   736A, D–739A, D
   Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico

                                     18

   6507A–6522A, 6519A (2nd), 6534A
   Great Northern Railway

                                      2

   277A, 277B
   Louisville and Nashville Railroad

                                     44

   300–320, 350–369, 383, 384
   Lehigh Valley Railroad

                                      8

   580–594 (even numbers only)
   Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

                                      1

   331A (2nd)
   Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                     43

   331–386
   New York Central Railroad

                                     80

   1044–1123
   Pennsylvania Railroad

                                     24

   9608A–9631A
   S.C.O.P. (Mexico)

                                      6

   7121-8–7121-13
   Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

                                      2

   868A-1, -2
   Western Maryland Railway

                                      2

   301, 302

   |}
   FB-1 units (cabless boosters)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                     24

   4400–4423
   Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

                                      8

   145B–152B
   Erie Railroad

                                     22

   725B, C–735B, C
   Great Northern Railway

                                      5

   310B, 440B, C, 442B, C
   Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

                                     33

   B1–B33
   Lehigh and New England Railroad

                                      3

   751–753
   Lehigh Valley Railroad

                                     10

   531–549 (odd numbers only)
   Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                     15

   301B–310B, 321B–325B
   New York Central Railroad

                                     23

   2300–2322
   New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

                                     15

   0450–0464
   Pennsylvania Railroad

                                      8

   9600B–9607B
   Reading Railroad

                                      6

   300B–305B
   St. Louis - San Francisco Railway

                                     16

   5300–5315
   Seaboard Air Line Railroad

                                      3

   4300–4302
   Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

                                      8

   856B-1, -2–860B-1, -2(even numbers only), 866B-1, -2
   Tennessee Central Railway

                                      1

   801B
   Union Pacific Railroad

                                     34

   1524B–1541B, 1618B, C–1642B, C (even numbers only)
   Wabash Railroad

                                      6

   1200B–1204B

   |}
   FB-2 units (cabless boosters)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   American Locomotive Company (demonstrator units)

                                      4

   1600B, 1600C, 1602B, 1602C
   Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

                                     21

   811x–817x (odd numbers only), 817ax,
   819x–837x (odd numbers only), 837ax
   Canadian National Railway

                                     15

   9409–9437 (odd numbers only)
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                      6

   4465–4470
   Erie Railroad

                                      8

   736B, C–739B, C
   Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico

                                     23

   6507B–6527B, 6519B (2nd), 6534B
   Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

                                      4

   834–837
   Louisville and Nashville Railroad

                                     14

   202–211, 330, 331
   Lehigh Valley Railroad

                                      4

   581–587 (odd numbers only)
   Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                     34

   331B–335B, 345B–356B, 370B–386B
   New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

                                      4

   465–469
   New York Central Railroad

                                     50

   3323–3372
   Pennsylvania Railroad

                                     12

   9608B–9630B
   Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

                                      2

   868B-1, -2

   |} |}

   MLW built 125 of the various FP models with the largest quantity, 46%
   of the total production, sold to Canadian National Railway.
   Units produced by the Montreal Locomotive Works (1950–1959)
   class="navbox collapsible autocollapse"
   FPA-2 units (cabs)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   Canadian National Railway

                                      6

   6706–6711
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                      7

   4082, 4083, 4094–4098
   Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico

                                     18

   6500, 6501, 6502A–6506A, 6523A–6533A
   Ferrocaril del Pacifico

                                      4

   901–904
   Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                     19

   361–390

   |}
  FPB-2 units (cabless boosters)
class="toccolours"                 Railroad         Quantity        Road numbers
Canadian National Railway

                                                                      6

                                            6806–6811
Canadian Pacific Railway

                                                                      2

                                            4463, 4464
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico

                                                                     11

                                            6502B–6506B, 6528B–6533B
Missouri Pacific Railroad

                                                                      6

                                            387B–392B

   |}
   FPA-4 / FPB-4 units (cab units & cabless boosters)
   class="toccolours" Railroad   Quantity   Road numbers
   Canadian National Railway (FPA-4)

                                     34

   6760–6793
   Canadian National Railway (FPB-4)

                                     12

   6860–6871

   |} |}

Surviving examples

   An ALCO FA-1 operates in MetroRail commuter service during the 1970s.
   Enlarge
   An ALCO FA-1 operates in MetroRail commuter service during the 1970s.

   Some 20 units of various designations exist today in a preserved state,
   all of which are owned by railway museums or historical societies.
   Several excursion railways, including the Grand Canyon Railway and Napa
   Valley Wine Train, own operating examples which are in regular service.

ALCO "World Locomotive"

   ALCO's "World Locomotive" (introduced in 1953) is an 1,800 hp "cousin"
   to MLW's FPA-4 passenger locomotive. As with the FPA-4, these units
   ride atop six-wheel trucks and utilize the ALCO model 251B diesel
   engine as the prime mover. The only locale within the Americas where
   ALCO-built cab units, such as America Latina Logistica (ALL) #8414,
   still see daily usage in freight duty is Argentina.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALCO_FA"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
