The FA-1 / FB-1 Locomotive is Back

[Joetrain59]

Bryan, I did not check with WKW for the wheels. Hopefully, Atlas will sell new wheels separately. I have to take stock of the many LL FA/B's I have.
 Thanks,
 Joe D

[pnolan48]

In my experience the second gen FA-1s pulled better than the second gen FA-2s. I had four A-B sets of the FA-1s and only two of the FA-2s. All were disassembled for DCC, with the frames ground by me, so there are multiple sources for variations and not an equal sample size. My thought is that the FA-1s hit a sweet spot with weight and motor power, while the FA-2s and the Erie-Builts might have been a little too heavy for the motor power. Or that the longer drive trains might have contributed a tad more friction. Or that by the time I got 16th DCC conversion of the full body units and perhaps the 20th of the GP-20 frame units (same motor, lighter weight), I had gotten a little sloppy. Also, with a 2.7% grade on long stretches, sometimes around broad curves on a nolix, ands my sometimes iffy trackwork, coupler strength was more the ruling factor than pulling power. I'm glad to see they are back, but this old wallet is glad it bought and converted the units about 15 years ago.

[Alwyn Cutmore]

I have a set of first run Life Like FA1 A-B-A units and as a trio they run perfectly to-gether. Never mind 2 sets of FA2 A-B-B-A  split chassis units units and another set of A-B-B-A Split Chassis FA1s. So in all reality I don't think I need anymore. I would be more interested if Atlas finished off what they started years agon when they put a RS11 body on a RSD 4/5 chassis and called it a RS12. I just wish they would do the right thing and produce a proper RS12 or even a RSD7/15 which no one seems to want to play with. There are so many other locos to play with rather than revisit the FA1/2s.

Also have a set of A-B-B-A split chassis FA2 GN units which are going to go under a set of V Line Sharks.

Spookshow the only LL FA1 that I can recall have wires was the first of the plastic frame units. They were thee same as the LL GP18 which I converted into a GP7. That unit, though having a very basic mech, would out pull two of the  Atlas/Kato GPs. Still have it and another and they still run. In those days LL shipped direct into the distributor in Australia. I bought 3 of them for $48.00 AUD. Bargain. They were so good they got me back into N Scale modelling again.   

[Joetrain59]

Off topic, but I wonder what Atlas might do with the LL SW series loco's. Hopefully they will take the time to improve power pick up, and add cab light.
 Joe D

[learmoia]

Off topic, but I wonder what Atlas might do with the LL SW series loco's. Hopefully they will take the time to improve power pick up, and add cab light.
 Joe D

And a speaker .. and ship a bunch of frames to Micro-trains at a reasonable cost.

Or has MT considered selling some tooling to Atlas? (SW1500s and Truck sideframes)?

[sirenwerks]

Also have a set of A-B-B-A split chassis FA2 GN units which are going to go under a set of V Line Sharks.

If you have no plans for those GN bodies, I'm interested. I have a A-B-B-A NYC set that I have plans to repaint, and those bodies would save me the effort.

[craigolio1]

 

The major problem with this wireing method is it is impossible to program each decoder seperately.  I anticipated this, so I turned one of the motors over, so it runs "backwards".  Now I can use one address for both decoders, and the locos run the same direction, back to back.  But I cannot adjust the sound effects seperately.   There is a setting that has the sounds at a different pitch from each other.

Can’t you just slide a piece of paper under one loco to isolate it while you program the other?

[nkalanaga]

Not if the two units are hardwired together.  In effect, he now has a single unit with two motors, so neither half can be isolated.

[OldEastRR]

So what's the deal on these? Are they in stores, on pre-order, what?

[spookshow]

So what's the deal on these? Are they in stores, on pre-order, what?

Preorders are being taken. According to the Atlas website they're due to ship in spring 2020.

-Mark

[Cajonpassfan]

Hmmm, eastern roads only? UP had 88 of them...
Otto K.

[Missaberoad]

Hmmm, eastern roads only? UP had 88 of them...
Otto K.

I wonder if Atlas is planning a version with angled number boards...

The UP Fa/Fb1 units are interesting. UP wasn't happy with them and they were among the first lease diesels in the early 1960s. They spent alot of time on Canadian Pacific.

[C855B]

Hmmm, eastern roads only? UP had 88 of them...

My assessment, as well. But Atlas isn't Kato, so UP tends to be a smidge lower on their priority list.

I wonder if Atlas is planning a version with angled number boards...

The UP Fa/Fb1 units are interesting. UP wasn't happy with them and they were among the first lease diesels in the early 1960s. They spent alot of time on Canadian Pacific.

The potential number board thing was something I pointed out a while back. I'm thinking that is the case, they'll modify the tooling to address the western roads' appearance. I'm probably going to shortcut that with the LL FA on my bench and make proper number boards on the Photon. Or not.

Judging from period photos, FA/FBs were all there was to be seen on the LA&SL during the 1950s aside from steam and then E-units on the passenger trains. That sorta confirms the "not happy" aspect since UP tended to exile problem children to the line to L.A. They did the same thing with SD24s in the '60s.

[CBQ Fan]

My assessment, as well. But Atlas isn't Kato, so UP tends to be a smidge lower on their priority list.

The potential number board thing was something I pointed out a while back. I'm thinking that is the case, they'll modify the tooling to address the western roads' appearance. I'm probably going to shortcut that with the LL FA on my bench and make proper number boards on the Photon. Or not.

Judging from period photos, FA/FBs were all there was to be seen on the LA&SL during the 1950s aside from steam and then E-units on the passenger trains. That sorta confirms the "not happy" aspect since UP tended to exile problem children to the line to L.A. They did the same thing with SD24s in the '60s.

What was UP’s issue with the SD-24?

[C855B]

What was UP’s issue with the SD-24?

Can only surmise, but long-in-the-tooth by then, displaced mostly by DDs, etc. Their GP20s were also relegated to the LA&SL pool, same thing. UP power racked-up miles quickly and wore things out a lot faster than other roads of the day. Plus I suspect some of the motivation given the isolation of L.A. relative to the rest of the network was maintenance, that there was value in having fleet commonality so less training, parts and so on would be required at the distant service point.