scrach build question

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

i am working on my UP fleet of different engines and i have thought about wanting to have the Alco-GE # 101 which was tested on UP tracks as X50 the only double head engine and one of the first turbines built and i found a large scale fourn and there is a comment about a modeler who had cut 2 Aristo A units and glued the cabs and bodies together the engine does look great but what i want to know what are the Aristo A units to me they look like a FTa and if my thinking is accurate

thanks

2

Can you find us a picture of the locomotive? We might be able to send you some ideas if we know which loco you want to kitbash.

David B

PS. I humbly suggest that you might get a more accurate response if you take the time to make your ideas and questions clear…

3

I would go with Alco FA’s instead of FT’s. They are much closer to the squared off lines of the GE. The EMD’s (FT, F&, etc) have a more rounded nose.

Dave H.

4

i am not much for words here are the two photos that i have found when someone had combined two A units together

thanks

5

Interesting…wonder what the minimum turn radius is for that?

6

They used ALCO FA’s as the starting point (probably recycled the trucks too).

Dave H.

7

according to the photocopy of the blueprints that i have this engine is 83 feet and 71/2 inches long from cupler to cupler and i figure on a HO scale this unit would work fine with a 22" radius as far as the FA unit goes would that be a F3,F7 type? i did not think that alco made a FA unit without some type of series number

8

ALCo/GE used ALCo FA cabs for that loco.

F3 & F7 are EMD model designations, not ALCo. The ALCo model designation is FA. There were four versions of the FA (FA-1, FA-2, FA-3 & FA-4), but for your purposes any one will do as the cab sections were all the same.

Model-wise there have been several productions, the LifeLike FA was probably the most accurate.