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About the ALco PA ALCo's PA-1 and PA-2 were diesel locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company in a partnership with General Electric in Schenectady, New York during the years 1947 to 1953. These A1A-A1A locomotives were powered by ALCo's model 244 16-cylinder engine. The earlier PA-1 had a slightly less powerful, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) version of the engine. The PA series was designed to be used in passenger service, whereas the companion FA model was a freight hauler. The locomotives were notorious (and loved by railfans) for their tendency to emit thick black exhaust smoke when accelerating. This was caused by the fuel-air mixture being overly rich while the exhaust-powered turbocharger gradually got up to speed, a condition known as "turbo lag." Although the PAs are considered by many to be a beautiful design, they were plagued by mechanical problems and eventually went out of favor as railroads began to acquire more and more EMD products. About the Models The Boston & Albany route features the introduction of the ALCo PA to Train Simulator Classic's all-time locomotive roster. That PA appears, appropriately, in New York Central's two-tone gray, "Lightning Stripe" livery. As you can see, on this page we present several variations of this locomotive. We typically call products like these "repaints" or "reskins," but they're more than that. In addition to the new paint job, these virtual locomotives have been physically modified to represent the way they were actually modified by the railroads that owned them.
Click on the images below to open each locomotive's download page in the Railworks America file library.
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| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe | Delaware & Hudson |
| ATSF purchased 14 PA-1s during the years 1946 to 1948, along with a like number of PB-1 booster units. The locomotives were furnished in Santa Fe's iconic Warbonnet livery. The numbering of some of the locomotives was changed, sometimes more than once, during their lifetimes. Distinguishing features include inset MU receptacles on the nose, illuminated road number above the cab, rooftop antenna, and Mars light. Includes PB unit. | The D&H purchaed four PA-1 locomotives from ATSF in 1967 and painted them in a blue version of the Santa Fe’s Warbonnet scheme. The PAs were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in 1975 to PA-4 specifications, with newer ALCo 251 12-cylinder prime movers. They were later shipped to Mexico on a long-term lease in 1978. Two of the units now reside at the railroad museum in Puebla, Mexico; the other two were involved in wrecks and were subsequently shipped back to the USA where they have been partially restored. |
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| Missouri Pacific | Southern Pacific |
| The Missouri Pacific Railroad purchased 8 PA-1s and 29 PA-2s during the years 1949 to 1952. The railroad did not own any PB units. The PAs hauled many named passenger trains over MoPac's 11,469-mile line, many of which had the word Eagle in their name in recognition of the railroad's "screaming eagle" logos. Examples include the Texas Eagle, the Colorado Eagle, and the Missouri River Eagle. Some of these trains were taken over and run by Amtrak beginning in the 1960s. The Missouri Pacific was purchased by Union Pacific Corporation in 1982. | SP purchased 12 PA-1s and 27 PA-2s, along with 6 PB-1s and 7 PB-2s, during the years 1948 to 1953. They were all delivered in the Daylight color scheme, though a few of them later appeared in orange and black ("Halloween") and gray and scarlet ("bloody nose") schemes. Notable features modeled here include the snowplow, the rooftop icicle breakers, train-number boards, and Mars light. The PAs frequently saw service in SP's flagship passenger trains. All had been retired by 1967. Includes PB unit. |
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| Erie Lackawanna | New York, New Haven & Hartford |
| The Erie Railroad purchased 12 PA-1s in 1949 and two PA-2s in 1951. The railroad did not purchase any PB units. The PAs were used to haul passenger trains, including the Phoebe Snow and Lake Cities, over Erie's New York to Chicago route, both before and after the 1960 merger that created the Erie Lackawanna Railway, and until the railroad was sold to Conrail in 1976. Distinguishing features of EL's PA locomotives include the MU receptacle and wireway mounted above the headlight, the louvered nose vents, and a "firecracker" antenna. | The NYNH&H purchased 27 PA-1 locomotives during 1948 and 1949. Over their lifetime, the locomotives underwent several changes to their paint schemes. The locomotive is depicted here in the iconic "McGinnis" scheme, named after the then New Haven president, which first appeared in 1954. The New Haven did not own any PB units. |