Description
Rapido Trains Inc HO 37532 DCC/ESU LokSound V5 Equipped Alco FA1-FB1 Locomotive Set New Haven 'McGinnis Scheme' 0421 / 0454 Rapido ’s new HO scale FA-1 and FB-1 feature: Correct nose and windshield contours Flat or angled number boards as appropriate Dynamic and non-dynamic brake versions Air- or water-cooled turbo exhaust stacks Etched side and fan screens Heavy, die-cast chassis 5-pole motor with dual flywheels Operating headlights, class lights and back-up lights Full underbody piping and conduit Separate free-standing grab irons and handrails Many railroad-specific details installed or included Full, multi-color cab interior DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound (featuring ESU LokSound) options** Accurate sounds **Lombard Hobbies Recommendation - As modelers ourselves we highly recommend ONLY running DCC on DCC systems and DC on DC systems, regardless of 'Dual-Mode' capability. This gives optimum performance and safeguards the unit from possible damage from running on a different system than originally intended and from any inexperienced operator errors. Prototype Information: Between January 1946 and October 1950 a total of 440 FA-1s and 240 FB-1s were built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCo) and their Canadian subsidiary, the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). They were originally sold to twenty-five railroads in the US, Canada and Mexico. The FA-1 (and its matching booster, the FB-1) was rated at 1500 horsepower and was designed primarily as a freight hauler. In a market that was becoming dominated by EMD products, the FA-1 came in a distant second due in part to reliability issues with its rushed-to-market 244 prime mover. Still, they were popular with several roads and could be found at the head of freights into the late 1960s.
