ALCO FA

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. 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-service passenger-freight version, the FPA/FPB, was also offered. That model 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

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

The first FA-2s were delivered in October 1950 to the Baltimore and Ohio and the Erie. 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.

From the 1970s until 1999, the Long Island Rail Road used 20 FA units converted into "power packs", which were push-pull cab cars with head-end power (HEP). The traction motors were removed, and original prime movers replaced with 600 horsepower (450 kW) engines/generators solely for supplying 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 Railways 8 — 9400–9407 — Built by MLWCanadian Pacific Railway 8 4 4000–4007 4400–4403 Built in USA for operations in Vermont20 20 4008–4027 4404–4423 Built by MLWChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 16 8 145–160 145B–152B Re-engined by EMDErie Railroad 22 22 725A, D–735A, D 725B, C–735B, C Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil 12 — 3201–3212 — Irish gaugeGreat Northern Railway 8 5 276A, B, 310A, C, 440A, D, 442A, D 310B, 440B, C, 442B, C 440A, B, C, D and 442A, B, C, D to Spokane, Portland & SeattleGreen Bay and Western Railroad 2 — 503 (1st), 507 — 503 renumbered 506Green Bay and Western (Kewanee, Green Bay and Western) 3 — 501, 502, 503 (2nd) — Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad 55 33 700–754 B1–B33 700, B1,701 were Alco Demonstrators 1500–1502, also purchased Alco static test unit 702 the 3rd FA-1 builtLehigh and New England Railroad 10 3 701–710 751–753 to Louisville and Nashville 332–341 (A) 327–329 (B) on L&NE abandonmentLehigh Valley Railroad 10 10 530–548 (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 Railroad 18 — 326A, C–334A, C — 331A replaced by FA-2; renumbered 82A, C–90A, CMissouri Pacific Railroad 30 15 301–330 301B–310B, 321B–325B New York Central Railroad 44 23 1000–1043 3300–3322 New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad 30 15 0400–0429 0450–0464 Pennsylvania Railroad 8 8 9600–9607 9600B–9607B Reading Company 6 6 300A–305A 300B–305B St. Louis-San Francisco Railway 32 16 5200–5231 5300–5315 Most where rebuilt with EMD567 prime moversSecretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP) (Mexico) 5 — 23031–23034, 23039 — Seaboard Air Line Railroad 3 3 4200–4202 4300–4302 Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway 14 8 850A-1,2–860A-1,2, (even) 866A-1,2 856B-1,2–860B-1,2 (even), 866B-1,2 FA's renumbered to 850–867 and FB's to 200–211Tennessee Central Railway 5 1 801–805 801B Union Pacific Railroad 44 44 1500A–1523A, 1542A–1543A, 1626–1643 1524B–1541B, 1618B, C–1642B, C (even) 1500A–1523A renumbered 1600A–1623A; 1524B–1541B renumbered 1600B, C–1616B, C (even)Wabash Railroad 10 5 1200, A–1204, A 1200B–1204BTotals 445 249 FA-2 (cab) and FB-2 (cabless booster) units Railroad Quantity FA-2 Quantity FB-2 Road numbers FA-2 Road numbers FB-2 NotesAmerican Locomotive Company 2 2 1603A, D1603B, C 1603A, B, C, D sold to Chicago and North Western 4103A, B-4104A, BAnn Arbor Railroad 14 — 50, A–56, A — 4 units to Wabash Railroad in 1964, remainder traded to EMD on GP35sBaltimore and Ohio Railroad 28 16 801, A–807, A; 819, A- 837, A (odd) 801X–807X; 819X-837X (odd), 817AX, 837AX Canadian National Railways 25 15 9408–9456 (even) 9409–9437 (odd) Built by MLWCanadian Pacific Railway 20 6 4042–4051, 4084–4093 4465–4470 Built by MLWConsolidated Railways of Cuba 12 — 1600–1605, 1650–1655 — Erie Railroad 8 8 736A, D–739A, D 736B, C–739B, C Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 18 24 6507A–6522A, 6519A (2nd), 6534A 6507B–6522B, 6519B (2nd), 6528B-6534B Great Northern Railway 2 2 278-279A 278-279B Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad — 4 — B34–B37 Louisville and Nashville Railroad 39 14 300–321, 353–369 200–211, 330–331 Lehigh Valley Railroad 6 2 580–588,592 (even) 581,585 (odd) Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad 1 — 331A (2nd) — Missouri Pacific Railroad 43 34 331–360, 374-386 331B–335B, 345B–356B, 370B–386B New York Central Railroad 80 50 1044–1123 3323–3372 New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad — 5 — 0465–0469 Pennsylvania Railroad 24 12 9608A–9631A 9608B–9630B (even) Secretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP) (Mexico) 6 — 7121-8–7121-13 — Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway 2 2 868A-1,2 868B-1,2 FA's to 868–869 FB's to 212–213Western Maryland Railway 4 — 301–304 — Totals 334 194 FCA-3 (cab) and FCB-3 (cabless booster) units Railroad Quantity FCA-3 Quantity FCB-3 Road numbers FCA-3 Road numbers FCB-3 NotesPakistan Railways23 0 DE2001-2023 Alco 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 NotesBaltimore and Ohio 105809, A-817, A (odd)809X-817X (odd)Canadian National Railways 6 6 6706–6711 6806–6811 2 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 Railway 7 2 4082–4083, 4094–4098 4463–4464 Built by MLWFerrocarriles Nacionales de México 18 10 6500–6501, 6502A–6506A, 6523A–6533A 6502B–6506B, 6523B–6527B built by Alco and MLWFerrocarril del Pacifico 4 — 901–904 — Built by AlcoGreat Northern Railway 2 277A, BLehigh Valley Railroad22 590, 594583, 587594 and 583 were used to field test the new 12V-251 engines in 1954-55 Louisville and Nashville Railroad 5 — 350–352, 383–384 — Missouri Pacific Railroad 19 6 361–373, 387–392 387B–392B Totals 73 33 FPA-4 (cab) and FPB-4 (cabless booster) units Railroad Quantity FPA-4 Quantity FPB-4 Road numbers FPA-4 Road numbers FPB-4 NotesCanadian National Railways 34 12 6760–6793 6860–6871 Built by MLW. All transferred to VIA Rail. Few MLW FPA-4 units sold privately to US.

Surviving examples

Some 20 units of various designations exist today in a preserved state. Several excursion railways own operating examples which are in regular service, including MLW units received from Via Rail Canada. The Grand Canyon Railway owns two FPA-4s, and one FB-1, of which two (one FPA-4 and one FB-1) currently remain in service. The Napa Valley Wine Train owns 4 FPA-4s. However all are expected to be withdrawn from service in favor of new locomotives. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Peninsula, Ohio, owns four FPA-4s and one FPB-4, of which three FPA-4s are in operation as of 2026. Two FPA-4s are planned to be rebuilt as battery-electric locomotives. The New York and Lake Erie Railroad owns one FPA-2 and one FPA-4. Ex-CN/VIA Rail 6758 was FPA-2 but rebuilt and is now a FPA-2U.

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. Western NY HS in Buffalo, New York owns a former New York Central FA-2, #1102/ PC1302. 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.