ALCO FA and FB
An ALCO FA-2 of the Long Island Rail Road in May 1976
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderPartnership of American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric (GE); Montreal Locomotive Works
ModelFA-1, FB-1, FA-2, FB-2, FPA-2, FPB-2, FCA-3, FPA-4, FPB-4
Build dateJanuary 1946 – May 1959
Total produced1,401
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AARB-B, A1A-A1A (FCA-3 only)
 • UICBo′Bo′
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
LengthFA-1: 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)
FB-1: 50 ft 2 in (15.29 m)
FA-2, FPA-2, FPA-4: 53 ft 6 in (16.31 m)
FB-2, FPB-2, FPB-4: 52 ft 8 in (16.05 m)
Loco weightFA-1/FB-1, FA-2/FB-2, FPA-2/FPB-2: 243,000 lb (110,000 kg)
FPA-4/FPB-4: 255,000 lb (115,666.1 kilograms)
Fuel capacity1,200 US gal (4,500 L; 1,000 imp gal)
Prime moverFA-1/FB-1, FA-2/FB-2, FPA-2/FPB-2: ALCO 244
FPA-4/FPB-4: ALCO 251
Engine typeV-12 Four-stroke diesel
AspirationTurbocharger
Displacement8,016 cu in (131.36 L)
GeneratorDC generator
Traction motorsDC traction motors GE 726 on GM&O initial order then GE 752
Cylinders12
Cylinder size9 in × 10.5 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
TransmissionElectric
Loco brakeIndependent air. Optional: Dynamic
Train brakesAir
Performance figures
Maximum speed65–75 mph (105–121 km/h)
Power outputEarly FA-1/FB-1: 1,500 hp (1,100 kW)
Late FA-1/FB-1 & all FA-2/FB-2/FPA-2/FPB-2: 1,600 hp (1,200 kW)
FPA-4/FPB-4: 1,800 hp (1,300 kW)
Tractive effortFA-1/FB-1, FA-2/FB-2, FPA-2/FPB-2: 60,875 lbf (270.79 kN)
FPA-4/FPB-4: 63,750 lbf (283.57 kN)
Career
LocaleNorth America, Brazil, Pakistan, México
DispositionMany preserved, some under restoration, rest scrapped.

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. Designed by General Electric's Ray Patten (along with their ALCO PA cousins), they were of a cab unit design; 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.

ALCO's designation of F marks these locomotives as being geared primarily for freight use, whereas the P designation of the PA sets indicates that they were geared for higher speeds and passenger use. However, beyond this their design was largely similar - aside from the PA/PB's both being larger A1A-A1A types with an even more striking nose - and many railroads used FA and PA locomotives for both freight and passenger service.

Several examples of FAs and FBs have been preserved. While most are now in the care of railroad museums, a few remain in operational status on such lines as the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Grand Canyon Railway and the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Service history

A MLW FPA-4 of the Canadian National Railway in September 1965

Three different models were offered. The FA-1/FB-1, which featured a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) rating, was built from January 1946 to October 1950, with a 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) version produced between March and August 1950 (many early models were subsequently upgraded to 1,600 hp). The 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) FA-2/FB-2 (along with the FPA-2/FPB-2 variants) was built between October 1950 and June 1956. Finally, the 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) 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 (MLW).

The FAs, as well as their cousins, the ALCO PAs, were born as a result of ALCO's development of a new diesel engine design, the Model 244. In early 1944, development started on the new design, and by November 1945, the first engines were beginning to undergo tests. This unusually short testing sequence was brought about by the decision of ALCO's senior management that the engine and an associated line of road locomotives had to be introduced no later than the end of 1946.

In preparation for this deadline, by January 1946, the first four locomotives with the 244 engines had been built. Two FA-1s and an FB-1 were painted in ALCO Demonstrator colors and were released for road tests for a month and a half on the Delaware and Hudson Railway.

A strike at ALCO delayed production beyond the first four units and the three demonstrator units began working on the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Railroad in mid February 1946. The demonstrators were returned to Schenectady when the remainder of the order began delivery in May 1946.

The GM&O order was completed in April 1947 for a total of 80 units. Before the end of this production run, ALCO upgraded the generators and traction motors in the locomotives, with the first of these models entering service in February 1947 for the New York Central.

In 1950, the Montreal Locomotive Works, an affiliate of ALCO, began production of FAs as well. In the fall of 1950, an upgraded model, the FA-2, was launched. This model featured an uprated Model 244 engine, with an output of 1,600 horsepower. Additionally, the carbody was lengthened, making possible the addition of a steam generator in the A unit to allow for use in passenger service. Models equipped as such were designated the FPA-2/FPB-2.[1]

The first FA-2s were delivered in October 1950 to the Baltimore and Ohio and the Erie.[2] By this time, however, the cab unit had fallen out of favor due to the greater versatility of road switchers, and US production of the FA line ended in 1956, with Canadian production ending in 1959.[1]

From the 1970s until 1999, the Long Island Rail Road used 20 FA units converted into "power packs". The traction motors were removed, and original prime movers replaced with 600 horsepower (450 kW) engines/generators solely for supplying Head-end power (HEP). The engineer's control stand was left intact, allowing the engines to be used in push-pull service with other locomotives, which usually lacked HEP. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the railroad began retiring the ALCOs in favor of new bi-level cab cars and locomotives with HEP installed.

Original production

Units produced by ALCO and the Montreal Locomotive Works (1946–1956)

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.

FA-1 (cab) and FB-1 (cabless booster) units
Railroad Quantity FA-1 Quantity FB-1 Road numbers FA-1 Road numbers FB-1 Notes
Canadian National Railways8—9400–9407—Built by MLW
Canadian Pacific Railway844000–40074400–4403Built in USA for operations in Vermont
20204008–40274404–4423Built by MLW
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad168145–160145B–152BRe-engined by EMD
Erie Railroad2222725A,D–735A,D725B,C–735B,C
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil12—3201–3212—1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge
Great Northern Railway85276A,B, 310A,C, 440A,D, 442A,D310B, 440B,C, 442B,C440A,B,C,D and 442A,B,C,D to Spokane, Portland & Seattle
Green Bay and Western Railroad2—503 (1st), 507—503 renumbered 506
Green Bay and Western (Kewanee, Green Bay and Western)3—501, 502, 503 (2nd)—
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad5533700–754B1–B33700,B1,701 were Alco Demonstrators 1500–1502, also purchased Alco static test unit 702 the 3rd FA-1 built
Lehigh and New England Railroad103701–710751–753to Louisville and Nashville 332–341 (A) 327–329 (B) on L&NE abandonment
Lehigh Valley Railroad1010530–548 (even)531–549 (odd)
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway ("Soo Line")14—205A,B–211A,B—
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railway)8—2220A,B–2223A,B—
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad18—326A,C–334A,C—331A replaced by FA-2; renumbered 82A,C–90A,C
Missouri Pacific Railroad3015301–330301B–310B, 321B–325B
New York Central Railroad44231000–10433300–3322
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad30150400–04290450–0464
Pennsylvania Railroad889600–96079600B–9607B
Reading Company66300A–305A300B–305B
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway32165200–52315300–5315Most where rebuilt with EMD567 prime movers
Secretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP) (Mexico)5—23031–23034, 23039—
Seaboard Air Line Railroad334200–42024300–4302
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway148850A-1,2–860A-1,2, (even) 866A-1,2856B-1,2–860B-1,2 (even), 866B-1,2FA's renumbered to 850–867 and FB's to 200–211
Tennessee Central Railway51801–805801B
Union Pacific Railroad44441500A–1523A, 1542A–1543A, 1626–16431524B–1541B, 1618B,C–1642B,C (even)1500A–1523A renumbered 1600A–1623A; 1524B–1541B renumbered 1600B,C–1616B,C (even)
Wabash Railroad1051200,A–1204,A1200B–1204B
Totals445249
FA-2 (cab) and FB-2 (cabless booster) units
Railroad Quantity FA-2 Quantity FB-2 Road numbers FA-2 Road numbers FB-2 Notes
American Locomotive Company221603A,D1603B,C1603A,B,C,D sold to Chicago and North Western 4103A,B-4104A,B
Ann Arbor Railroad14—50,A–56,A—4 units to Wabash Railroad in 1964, remainder traded to EMD on GP35s
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad2816801,A–807,A; 819,A- 837,A (odd)801X–807X; 819X-837X (odd), 817AX, 837AX
Canadian National Railways25159408–9456 (even)9409–9437 (odd)Built by MLW
Canadian Pacific Railway2064042–4051, 4084–40934465–4470Built by MLW
Consolidated Railways of Cuba12—1600–1605, 1650–1655—
Erie Railroad88736A,D–739A,D736B,C–739B,C
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México18246507A–6522A, 6519A (2nd), 6534A6507B–6522B, 6519B (2nd), 6528B-6534B
Great Northern Railway22278-279A278-279B[3]
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad—4—B34–B37
Louisville and Nashville Railroad3914300–321, 353–369200–211, 330–331
Lehigh Valley Railroad62580–588,592 (even)581,585 (odd)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad1—331A (2nd)—
Missouri Pacific Railroad4334331–360, 374-386331B–335B, 345B–356B, 370B–386B
New York Central Railroad80501044–11233323–3372
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad—5—0465–0469
Pennsylvania Railroad24129608A–9631A9608B–9630B (even)
Secretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP) (Mexico)6—7121-8–7121-13—
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway22868A-1,2868B-1,2FA's to 868–869 FB's to 212–213
Western Maryland Railway4—301–304—
Totals334194
FCA-3 (cab) and FCB-3 (cabless booster) units
Railroad Quantity FCA-3 Quantity FCB-3 Road numbers FCA-3 Road numbers FCB-3 Notes
Pakistan Railways230DE2001-2023Alco exported 14 in 1951 and 9 in 1953

Units produced by ALCO and the Montreal Locomotive Works (1950–1959)

ALCO and MLW built 152 of the various FP models with the largest quantity, 38% of the total production, sold to Canadian National Railway.

FPA-2 (cab) and FPB-2 (cabless booster) units
Railroad Quantity FPA-2 Quantity FPB-2 Road numbers FPA-2 Road numbers FPB-2 Notes
Baltimore and Ohio105809,A-817,A (odd)809X-817X (odd)
Canadian National Railways666706–67116806–68112 A and 2 B units rebuilt to 2 FPA4M and 2 FPB4M in 1955, Built by MLW. Two FPA-2 rebuilt as FPB-2U were 6758 and 6759. 6758 previously numbered as 6755 and delivered new as FPA-2 6711. 6759 previously 6751 and delivered new as FPA-2 6707. FPB-2U transferred to VIA Rail. Retired by VIA in 1987, 6758 is still used by New York and Lake Erie Railroad.
Canadian Pacific Railway724082–4083, 4094–40984463–4464Built by MLW
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México18106500–6501, 6502A–6506A, 6523A–6533A6502B–6506B, 6523B–6527Bbuilt by Alco and MLW
Ferrocarril del Pacifico4—901–904—Built by Alco
Great Northern Railway2277A,B
Lehigh Valley Railroad22590, 594583, 587594 and 583 were used to field test the new 12V-251 engines in 1954-55
Louisville and Nashville Railroad5—350–352, 383–384—
Missouri Pacific Railroad196361–373, 387–392387B–392B
Totals7333
FPA-4 (cab) and FPB-4 (cabless booster) units
Railroad Quantity FPA-4 Quantity FPB-4 Road numbers FPA-4 Road numbers FPB-4 Notes
Canadian National Railways34126760–67936860–6871Built by MLW. All transferred to VIA Rail. Few MLW FPA-4 units sold privately to US.

Surviving examples

A pair of MLW FPA-4s on the Napa Valley Wine Train

Some 20 units of various designations exist today in a preserved state.[4] Several excursion railways own operating examples which are in regular service, including MLW units received from Via Rail Canada.

Locomotives not sold to tourist railroads have been sold to museums and other owners.

  • The Illinois Railway Museum owns former Louisville & Nashville FA-2 #314.
  • The Western Maryland Railway Historical Society owns former Western Maryland FA-2 #302.
  • The Railroad Museum of New England owns former New York, New Haven, & Hartford FA-1 #0401.
  • A private group in Buffalo, New York owns a former New York Central FA-2, #1102.
  • Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway FA-1 #866 is undergoing restoration by a private owner in Portland, Oregon.
  • Spokane Portland & Seattle FB-2 868B is owned by a private owner in NJ.
  • The Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec owns CN FPA-4 #6765 and CN FA-1 #9400.
  • The Danbury Railway Museum owns an FPA-4 and FPB-4. They have been restored as Canadian National FPA-4 6786 and FPB-4 #6867. Also at the Danbury Railway Museum is ex-New Haven FA-1 0428.
  • The Monticello Railway Museum houses privately owned CN 6789, an MLW FPA-4, and CN 6862, an MLW FPB-4. The A-B set was restored into operating condition and CN 6789 is used on museum trains. Both have been repainted into the green/yellow scheme that CN used early on.
  • Canadian Pacific FA-2 4090 and FB-2 4469 survive as static displays at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historical Society owns former Louisville & Nashville FA-2 #315.
  • Western Maryland FA-2 #303 is stored in Barton, MD on the Georges Creek Railway. It was recently sold to a railroad shop in Kansas City.[6]
  • Canadian National 6854 is owned by a private owner in Bridgeton, NJ.
  • Canadian National 6783 has recently moved to Tennessee.

ALCO "World Locomotive"

Pakistan

Alco built 23 A1A-A1A trucked FCA-3s for Pakistan Railways in 1951 and 1953. These were the equivalent of an FPA-2 riding on A1A trucks. ALCO's "World Locomotive", the DL500 (introduced in 1953), originated as a newly designed demonstrator based on the FA-2. The first 25 DL500s used the model 244 engine rated at 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW). Later DL500s were like the FPA-4 and utilize the ALCO model 251B diesel engine as the prime mover and are rated at 1,800 horsepower (1,300 kW). All DL500s were built with C-C trucks, but B-B or paired A-1-A trucks were offered as an option.

Americas

The only locale within the Americas where ALCO-built cab units, such as All America Latina Logistica (ALL), still see daily usage in freight duty is Argentina. A total of 369 DL500 locomotives were built by ALCO, AE Goodwin, and MLW between May 1953 and December 1967.

Australia

Variants of the ALCO "World Locomotive" saw service in Australia, where it was built under license by AE Goodwin, Sydney. Six single-cab locomotives were delivered to the South Australian Railways (SAR) in 1955 as the 930 class.[7] In 1957, the SAR received the first of an eventual 31 built to a two-cab design, the end with the second cab being flat-fronted. A few months later, the first of an up-rated version of the two-cab design arrived on the Department of Railways New South Wales as the 44 class, of which 100 were in service by 1968.[8][9]

Railroad Model Specification

Number

Quantity Road

Numbers

South Australian Railways FPD6 DL-500B 6 930-935
South Australian Railways FPD7 DL-500C 31 936-966
Department of Railways New South Wales FPD7 DL-500C 100 4401-44100
Department of Railways New South Wales FPD9 DL-500G 40 44201-44240
South Australian Railways FPD9 DL-500G 6 700-705

Europe, Asia and Latin America

Similar DL500 locomotives were also used in Greece, Pakistan, Peru, and Spain.

Railroad Model Specification Number Quantity Road Number
Northern Railways of Pakistan FPD3 DL-500 2 2024-2025
Renfe FPD5 DL-500A 17 1601-1617
Peru Southern Railway FPD6 DL-500B 6 500-505
General Bartolome Mitre Railroad (Argentine Railways) FPD7 DL-500C 25 5551-5575
Hellenic State Railways FPD7 DL-500C 10 A301-A310
Northern Railways of Pakistan FPD7 DL-500C 35 2026-2029, 2044-2074
Renfe FPD7 DL-500C 24 1801-1824
Iraqi Republic Railways FPD9 DL-500S 5 2101-2105
Renfe FPD9 DL-500S 8 2101-2108
Renfe FPD9 DL-500T 72 2109-2180

India

In India the DL500 were introduced as the Indian locomotive class WDM-1 in 1957.[10][11] They were in service until the early 2000s.

Railroad Model Specification

Number

 Quantity Road Number
Indian Railways FPD7 DL-500C 100 17000-17099

See also

References

  • "ALCO 244 and 251 Diesel Engines". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Archived from the original on April 12, 2006. Retrieved March 9, 2006.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
  • "The Alco FA: A Working Gal". Exotic Diesel Locomotives. Retrieved March 7, 2006.
  • Steinbrenner, Richard T. (2003). The American Locomotive Company: a centennial remembrance. New Brunswick, NJ: On Track Publishers, LLC. ISBN 9780911122077.
  • Claflin, Jim; Douglas, Ken L. (March–April 1972). "Alco FA-FB tally". Extra 2200 South. No. 33. pp. 26–27. ISSN 2207-9114.

Specific

  1. 1 2 Steinbrenner, Richard T (2003). The American Locomotive Company: A Centennial Remembrance. On Track Publishers. ISBN 0-911122-07-9.
  2. ↑ "Erie Railroad". The Diesel Shop. December 10, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Great Northern Empire - then and Now".
  4. ↑ "Preserved Diesels".
  5. ↑ "Grand Canyon Railway Train Equipment | Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, Arizona". Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kansas City Shop Buys Western Maryland FA-2". October 13, 2022.
  7. ↑ Loco Profile: The SAR 930 Class Locomotive Motive Power issue 124 July 2019 page 28
  8. ↑ Oberg, Leon (1975). Locomotives of Australia. Terrey Hills, New South Wales: AH & AW Reed. p. 219. ISBN 9780589071738.
  9. ↑ 4490 New South Wales Rail Transport Museum
  10. ↑ "Vadakkus". Archived from the original on September 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ "IRFCA".

12. Craig, R. (2010, December 29). Alco DL500 World Locomotives. www.the diesel shop.us. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from http://thedieselshop.us/Alco_DL500.HTML

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