USA TRAINS FA1 units

Rhinochugger said:
Actually Mick, your photo of the back of the A unit shows the Aristo logo on the back of the loco >:)>:)>:)

I think you're better of with Aristo, as USA trains had a reputation for massive current draw. The later Aristo models were drawing a lot less current. :clap::clap:

My book says they were first made in 1945 :rock::rock::rock:

Isn't this the Ski Train livery? Someone on this forum had a complete Ski Train - was it Spike from Sussex?

I have found one photo with and FA1 /FB1 in this livery with the first wagon being a box car - that's all that's in shot.
Click to expand...
 
Rhinochugger said:
Actually Mick, your photo of the back of the A unit shows the Aristo logo on the back of the loco >:)>:)>:)

I think you're better of with Aristo, as USA trains had a reputation for massive current draw. The later Aristo models were drawing a lot less current. :clap::clap:

My book says they were first made in 1945 :rock::rock::rock:

Isn't this the Ski Train livery? Someone on this forum had a complete Ski Train - was it Spike from Sussex?

I have found one photo with and FA1 /FB1 in this livery with the first wagon being a box car - that's all that's in shot.
Click to expand...
yes this livery is fictitious,,,, they do make the b unit to match
and although made up the locos do look nice
 
Rhinochugger said:
Actually Mick, your photo of the back of the A unit shows the Aristo logo on the back of the loco >:)>:)>:)

I think you're better of with Aristo, as USA trains had a reputation for massive current draw. The later Aristo models were drawing a lot less current. :clap::clap:

My book says they were first made in 1945 :rock::rock::rock:

Isn't this the Ski Train livery? Someone on this forum had a complete Ski Train - was it Spike from Sussex?

I have found one photo with and FA1 /FB1 in this livery with the first wagon being a box car - that's all that's in shot.
Click to expand...

I cannot see it ("there's none so blind as those that cannot see"):worried:.

Well at least current draw is reassuring - as also is the build date (I sort of operate trains from the 1900's to the early 1950's - the rest are museum locos out for a run. At least that's my excuse for buying anything I fancy or can afford!

Could you post that pic you mention or send it as a conversation?

Many thanks.
E]
 
beavercreek said:
Hi Mick
Well a nice pair.
The Rio Grande did not use Alco FA1 in real life only the EMD F and Alco PA series in the Aspen gold, silver and black liveried 'Zephyr' trains... they also did not use the longer E8s ........ but that would more relevant to rivet counters.

The Grande used the F and PA locos as passenger power as part of the Zephyrs (Primarily 'The Prospector', then The Californian Zephyr, later The Rio Grande Zephyr as well as the PA unit used on the short lived Yampa valley Mail.). The F units were used for the 'Ski Train' that ran from Denver to the Winter Park ski resort.
As they became older and revenue from the 'Zephyrs' was declining and the passenger fleet was shortened and eventually finished, the railroad would put the gold and black striped jobbies into freight consists...... they became a wee bit dirty and a bit sorry for themselves, but to the Rio Grande's credit, they did clean the F and PA units more than the other diesels!

This the front of one of my F3 'A' units as it draws in at Beaver Creek Station

View attachment 211907
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike:cry: I'll just have to pretend. To be honest, I thought of running them for freight services. It seems the more I learn, the less I know. C'est la vie!

Thanks to everybody for their replys and advice.
 
daveyb said:
yes this livery is fictitious,,,, they do make the b unit to match
and although made up the locos do look nice
Click to expand...

Thanks Davey - it seems the rubber rule rules! The model world seems to have more fiction than the public library! If I ever do run them on my trailer layout (and it would have to be the outer circle), I'll have to say "It's similar to what the Rio Grande used to operate". As the line is pure whimsy anyway, I'll get away nicely with that.

And, as you say, they do look nice!
 
trammayo said:
Thanks for that - I can run a mixed consist of almost any freight stock (at least that will be 'authentic'!).
Click to expand...
The reality is that so many variants of the 'car body' diesel locos were produced, in so many various liveries, you can get away with almost anything.

More importantly, they look handsome :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:
 
I Use my F3 'ABBA' (in various forms ie AB or AA or ABA etc) sometimes with the 'Prospector/ski train' livery set of coaches and sometimes heading the 'California Zephyr' set

Here is a couple of shots from many moons ago ...quite a bit has changed on the layout since then

zephyr old layout.jpg

zephyr rolls through.jpg

In California Zephyr guise

zephr climbing the incline.jpg

zephr F3 units head up Californian Zephyr' begin to climb.jpg

zephyr breasting the summit.jpg
 
Well, I did try them on the trailer layout - but the pair became detached!

Aristocraft Alco FA1s (14).JPG

Of course they go round the R1s (one at a time) but any stock being hauled would be thrown off!
 
Last edited:
Third picture, post #1 and comment in post #23 about not 'seeing' the Aristocraft logo..
Not the Aristo 'diamond' logo, but just above the running number on the LHS is a semi-circle, which says Aristocraft Trains, and the date 2007.
 
PhilP said:
Third picture, post #1 and comment in post #23 about not 'seeing' the Aristocraft logo..
Not the Aristo 'diamond' logo, but just above the running number on the LHS is a semi-circle, which says Aristocraft Trains, and the date 2007.
Click to expand...

You (and Rhino,,) are right - I was lookimg for the diamond! Mind you, I had to put my specs on!

R1s are a pain but I have plenty of clearance (for the BHs and J&S coaches etc.). The overhang of the FA1s is considerable though.
 
Beddhist said:
Alas, the A unit in the pic is an F7, according to the person who posted it. There are 3 more engines behind the two in front.
Click to expand...

All the units in that photo are F units (front is F7 but the 'B' units could be F3 upwards..hard to tell at this angle) as Rio Grande did not use Alco FA jobbies
 
It seems to be very difficult to achieve complete accuracy in livery or loco types when modelling American railroads so I readily excuse any mistakes that I make-this dispensation doesn't apply to others, of course! However, after looking at a large number of videos on You Tube it seems to me that if you want to model the 70s onwards you can have any livery you want running in any circumstances as there were so many bankruptcies and amalgamations that companies would run mixtures of new corporate liveries, old constituent liveries, patched liveries and no liveries at all! Rule 8 applies in real life. Just go out in the garden and enjoy your trains.
 
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