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Rapido HO Scale ALCO FA-2 Erie As Delivered 738-B with DCC/Sound PICTURE SOON

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RRP:
$299.95
Your Price:
$239.98 (You save $59.97)
SKU:
RAP22521
Weight:
2.50 LBS
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Calculated at checkout
Current Stock:
1
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Product Description

HO Scale Alco/MLW FB-2 & FPB-2

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Rapido Trains Inc. is pleased to announce the definitive HO scale model of the Alco/MLW FA-2 and FPA-2.

The FA-2 was Alco’s response to the ubiquitous EMD F7 that was swiftly becoming the locomotive of choice for many freight and passenger railroads. The FA-2 was intended for freight service while the FPA-2 included a steam generator and obligatory large water tank for heating passenger cars. Our models will have the correct details for each version.

 

Pennsylvania RR FA-2 with vertical battery box louvers, coupler cover and trainphone antenna.

 

Delivered between October 1950 (Erie 736A) and June 1956 (L&N 211), a total of 283 FA-2 and FPA-2 locomotives were built by Alco-GE in Schenectady, New York for 12 different American railroads. A further 51 FA-2 and FPA-2 locomotives were built under licence by Montreal Locomotives Works for CP, CN and NdeM. Each 1600-HP locomotive had a 12-cylinder Alco 244 prime mover and GE air-cooled turbocharger. It took some time for Alco to design out the issues in this combo resulting in significant reputational damage to the Alco-GE partnership.

Even after the fitment of a new water-cooled turbocharger and upgraded engine components the FAs required more maintenance than the rival EMD machines, which accounts for why these locomotives rarely lasted past 1970 without being significantly rebuilt.

 

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CPR FA-2 with Farr grilles, horizontal battery box louvers, winterisation hatches, and CP’s unique small fuel tank.

 

 

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When it comes to FA-2 locomotives, one size definitely does not fit all. There were substantial variations from railroad to railroad, and we’re covering all of the major ones. Rapido’s model will include:

 

  • Correct water/fuel tank combination for the FPA-2
  • Dynamic Brakes
  • Vertical battery box louvers
  • Prototype-specific details
  • Underbody piping and conduit
  • Nose louvers for B&O
  • Trainphone Antenna for PRR

In all, we are actually tooling four different fuel and fuel/water tanks: two FA-2 fuel tanks (one for CP and one for everyone else) and two FPA-2 fuel/water tanks (one for CP/CN and one for everyone else).

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Lehigh Valley FA-2 with steam generator (otherwise known as the FPA-2). Note the large combination fuel/water tank, see through wire grilles, steam generator panel on the roof, the ATS shoe on the lead truck and vertical battery box louvers.

 

B&O-FA2-Left

 

The B&O FA-2 and FPA-2 both feature the distinctive nose louvers that were added in the early 1950s. Other spotting features include the Wabco E2 horns, dual-Pyle headlight (other roadnames also feature a single headlight if applicable). The production model will have an etched-metal nose herald and the proper “dotted” typeface in the number boards.

 

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Most importantly, ours is the ONLY FA model ever produced that was scaled from a 3D scan of the prototype, FPA-4 #6765 in Exporail. The nose on our model is the only one guaranteed to be the correct shape, as it’s the only one designed from a 3D scan! It is quite different from the nose used on older models.

Our HO Scale Alco/MLW FA-2/FPA-2 features:

  • HO Scale DC or DC/DCC/SOUND
  • 5-pole, skew-wound motor with excellent slow-speed performance
  • Operating number boards, headlights and two-color class lights
  • Roadname-specific details
  • Dynamic brakes
  • Etched-metal grilles (Farr or chicken wire, as appropriate)
  • Full underbody piping and conduit
  • Correct, roadnames-specific FA-2 and FPA-2 fuel tanks
  • Separate grab irons and handrails installed at the factory
  • Heavy, die-cast chassis
  • Full cab interior
  • Accurate sounds recorded from a real Alco 244 prime mover
  • Factory-installed Macdonald-Cartier couplers mounted at the correct height

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