The ALCO FA is a family of B-B diesel locomotives designed to haul freight trains. The locomotives were built by a partnership of ALCO and General Electric in Schenectady, New York, between January 1946 and May 1959.

Dec 21, 2024 · The Alco FA was intended to be the builder's answer to Electro-Motive's ever popular FT and subsequent models. The design was the road freight model of Alco's passenger service PA.

Jan 9, 2024 · In 1946, ALCO (in partnership with General Electric) introduced a series of locomotive models equipped with their new 244-series engine aimed at three primary markets: A freight cab unit (the FA-1); a passenger cab unit (the PA-1); and a road switcher (the RS-2).

Aug 28, 2024 · The FPA-4 was the Montreal Locomotive Works' final streamlined cab design and the only one to boast Alco's 251 power plant. The model was known for its robust performance and versatility, primarily designed for passenger service.

Unlike the PA, however, the FA was designed to pull the bread-and-butter of the railroads, freight. The FA would compete head-on with the immensely popular F units of EMD. Although the FA lost the battle with the F unit, it was much more successful than the PA in terms of sales.

Alco records do not show #590 as being a FPA-2. However, it definitely featured the large two-cell fuel/water tank and steam generator. These could have been added by the railroad.

The second generation FA/FPA design was also revised several times during its six-years in the Alco catalogue between October 1950 (Erie 736A) and June 1956 (L&N 211). There are three accepted railfan “phase” designations, as follows:

The ALCO FA was a family of B-B diesel locomotives designed to haul freight trains. The locomotives were built by a partnership of ALCO and General Electric in Schenectady, New York, 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.

Dec 24, 2006 · FPA-2 / FPB-2: DL-212A / 213A Alco: 8/1951 to 11/1954: 35 / 10: FPA-2 / FPB-2: ME1600FA / FB MLW: 8/1953 to 4/1955: 19 A's & 14 B's: FPA-4 / FPB-4: DL-218/219 MLW: 10/1958 to 5/1959: 34 A's & 12 B's * * * Roadswitchers * * * Model Spec. # Built By Dates; Qty RS-1: E1640, E1641 & 41A Alco: 3/1941 to 3/1960: …

The 1,600 hp FA-2/FB-2 (along with the FPA-2/FPB-2 variants) was built between October 1950 and June 1956. The 1,800 hp FPA-4/FPB-4, powered by the 251 V-12 engine, was built between October 1958 and May 1959 by ALCO's Canadian subsidiary, Montreal Locomotive Works …