Lionel Santa Fe ALCO PA A-A Set

A review of the new Lionel 3-Rail O-Scale Santa Fe ALCO PA A-A Set. Offered in Lionel's 2018 Volume 2 catalog. More videos are available on the Eric's Trains KZbin Channel and at www.ericstrains.com.
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[@WhatAboutTheBee]

We are in agreement. The mark of a company is what they do when a mistake is found. Its easy when everything goes right. But when something goes wrong, the good companies own it, fix it and move on. Companies that deny, dissemble and obfuscate are not worth dealing with and go out of business. Tell 'em Eric!

[@brandonmalik3910]

instablaster.

[@michaelscott3950]

Eric you are a classy guy. Your videos are second to none. The information and back ground from the real trains is what sets you apart. It's great to learn about history. Sad to hear you explain to grown men about mistakes. Sad sad sad. Anyway i too have the exact loco set arrived past June happy birthday to me. Lol. but mine just sits there. My RR still under construction, soooo thank you for the recall info, i would have thought the whole problem was me. Lol Keep up the great work, your lay out is one of dreams for most of us.

[@robertnielsen2461]

michael scott I have to agree with you about adults.Remember when Lionel produced an h. o. Model of the Challenger?Because Lionel designed in a manner that allowed for 18 inch rad. operation we had customers promising to never buy Lionel junk ever.Sad sad sad that some men never grow up . Nuff saiid

[@henryszubielski8601]

Eric I always appreciate how you make the good case that mistakes will happen, that you don't sweat minor things. It's a hobby and fixing itis part of the hobby, or for that matter, life. Thanks for keeping it real!

[@Greatdome99]

The 'beautiful Santa Fe paint' scheme was called the Warbonnet scheme, invented by EMD's styling staff in the late 1930s. There was also a PA-3 with Farr grilles on the side. The EMD 567 re-engining program was a Santa Fe/EMD project, certainly not an Alco offering. The 244s were unreliable not because they were "rushed into production" -- they were introduced in 1944 (hence the '44'). They suffered from poor design, lack of factory product support (spare parts and ongoing improvements) and too much turbo boost, which overloaded engine components. GE never stopped supplying electrical components to Alco since there was no other source.

[@TrainmasterGT]

Those challengers at 22:35 made me think ”Weird flex but Okay”

[@acrking76]

This video for sure has some of my favorite running shots Eric! The zooming in and out looks fantastic!

[@Ericstrains]

peacemaker thanks!

[@flossietube2065]

Over the years I have really enjoyed your videos! I love the info on the "real" Locomotive's you give. I love the stat's you give. And the detailed information on each model. And my favorite part, seeing them in motion on your marvelous layout. Great job Eric!!! Keep up the good work 👍 P.S. I still would ❤LOVE💕to see a working RXR crossing with lights, bells, and lowering gates!

[@Ericstrains]

Thank you!

[@petelinster7093]

I love seeing your reviews and videos Eric.TFS

[@SignalLightProductions]

Nice review. Really enjoyed the various shots of the train running.

[@KandRCustomModels]

Thanks Eric for another great review I have the MTH set and an early version of Lionel’s PA set. These legacy sure nice!

[@vincentvanpaepeghem4844]

Great video Eric! Beautiful set. Thanks for sharing

[@zjelkof]

Awesome background information on the PA’s. Great review Eric!

[@felixthetrainfan4819]

Hey Eric trains that is a awesome locomotive and I have been watching your videos for over past years and you're the best recording trains ever👍!

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

I know SEPTA had an FA number 615 that was ex LIRR. It had no prime mover but it had gel sprayers for cleaning the track in fall. Its been retired and now owned by an unnamed private owner

[@nathansifert.6880]

Thunder ur here!?

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

@@nathansifert.6880 course i am

[@bradstrains]

Great review Eric!

[@Chessie1985]

Awesome review Eric!!!

[@keithbliss6680]

Wonderful layout Eric! We learn from mistakes and improvements are often made after.

[@Ericstrains]

Absolutely!

[@Cbtrainnut]

Eric, I totally agree with you on the mistakes. They happen. I think todays trains are so impressive with all the add one. I’m an American Flyer guy and it’s the same with the S Scale. As long as the train is repaired that is all that matters!

[@Ericstrains]

Thanks!

[@collegefootballfan7909]

Another excellent video Eric. And that modal is just beautiful. Mistakes will happen like you said. But they aren't charging to fix the mistake. People need to look at that as well. So and like you said it's all how it's handled. And it looks like Lionel handled it with professionalism.

[@pugblake]

Ahhh, love that action videography. I used to take the NY Central - Conrail - Metro North line for years. My favorite experience was falling asleep on the ride home in the dead of winter with a big arctic rabbit-fur hat pulled over my head.

[@Mercatoyd]

a very handsome unit.. the horn is nice..I thought for sure your fav feature would have been the lighted number boards on the side. I really enjoyed watching this train run on your layout.

[@amadigidigaula771]

Great review Eric, this exact set has been on my list for a new layout I am planning in England, so I was thrilled to see this new video appear. If I can figure out the difficulties of running Legacy Command on the UK power supply I am definitely getting these PAs.

[@amadigidigaula771]

anthony vileta thanks - I must admit I’m struggling to get clear recommendations. The problem is the difference in frequencies of the supply - US 60hz vs UK 50hz. I’ve contacted more people today so hopefully someone can tell me. I haven’t yet found anyone online whose actually done it with Legacy Command! It’s such a shame there isn’t a UK distributor either. I’ve had that confirmed too, so I’ll be importing everything myself. Fun times ahead.

[@MrBnsftrain]

4:09 the Rio Grande one would fit in pretty well with the ATSF set since it's just plain silver those gray heavyweight cars look great with that PA1, and probably how and 2nd class train looked like in the 1950s

[@daveolliemetalhead]

My father had a pair of pa 1s with 2 B units American. Flyer.. always my favorite

[@Porschedude8]

Awesome Eric! Thanks loads...

[@daylilygardener6558]

Another excellent review.

[@oxolotleman7226]

It's a great set and really captures the essence of an old passenger locomotive but I'd really like to get my sd40-2s soon. I'm hoping that they are taking so long because Lionel is taking their time to put out a great top of the line product with amazing attention to detail.

[@chainsawcharl1e677]

I really like the fact that all of the drivers are flanged. Never seen that in 3-rail PA's before.

[@gordonjforbes9471]

Great philosophy concerning the human condition, love your show.

[@caverjam]

There are others on KZbin giving train repair or train reviews but they are so bad that whenever one of them comes on I am mediately turn it off and look for one that you’ve done I love listening to what you have to say even though I do not have a layout I am hooked on your videos

[@Ericstrains]

James Jasek thanks, James!

[@franciscalise1101]

Great review. If I haven't ordered a set, I will certainly look for one. The passenger car that jumps probably has a bad wheel set. You may want to change the wheels. Thanks for the bloopers. It's great to see that you're human like the rest of us.

[@zachwheeler9846]

Beautiful engines, nothing beats that Santa Fe paint scheme.

[@PennsyPro]

Nice model! Wonderful review. As far as people’s reactions to Lionel’s recent mistakes, I couldn’t agree more. This hobby is about having fun, right?

[@stephenwhite546]

Love seeing the Pullman cars

[@sandmansniper9916]

I watched ur video on ur new Menards building n I bought the Alien taking the cow I'll have it this Friday. Ty love ur video's

[@miguelChivasFan17]

Great video again Eric. I dont buy Lionel or MTH. because I am an N scale model railroader But I still enjoy your O scale reviews

[@trainlover9943]

Nice set! The number boards have quite a bit of light bleed.

[@tjprptchable]

Great video Eric now I know more about my PA A-B-A locomotives

[@Ecarroll7575]

Hi Eric! Great review as always. Are you eventually going to do a review on the new 4-4-0 hybrids?

[@dansweet6793]

Eric your awesome, I would love to do this but right now I don't have the space or financial means, but I am getting ready for the future of my model railroading with a expert like you. 😀

[@jontoscano9734]

18:00 reminds me of the visionline baldwin centipede horn

[@EVELYNEMIL]

Phenomenal.

[@bigpaulie806]

I love the Lionel trains

[@CtModelA]

Good commentary on "mistakes" overall. Chill people.

[@ConnecticutRailFilms]

I haven’t heard that dispatch voice in a long time in New Lionel models!

[@2railnation]

I'm having to send my UP set in to have the ID issue fixed.

[@josephmueller335]

I had to take my S1 to get the locomotive repaired the chugging sounds weren't working and it was not programming to the legacy remote and I think i accidentally pushed the smoke on and off switch up into the locomotive despite having to take it to my local repair shop it's a beautiful locomotive.

[@dave6695]

Alco tried to repower the units with a 567C? I believe you meant EMD tried the repower option and only the ATSF went for it. MK (Morrison Knudsen) later rebuilt some ATSF PA's with Alco 251 series engines. These for D&H units are the for that survive today (2 in Mexico and 2 here in the states) Doyle McCormack is rebuilding one of the US units into an operational replica of a NKP PA.

[@DestroyertheRailwarrior]

Whatever happened to just buying a model train and running it because its fun. I agree with you Eric on its not if you make a mistake its how the mistake is handled and corrected.

[@rebelbaron7003]

The very story you told about ALCO's PA-1s problem with the engines proves my point EXACTLY. Those first locomotives should have been tested right off the production line for defects. EMD's SD-45 had huge problems with the crankshaft right off the line.

[@jackhollandcsxnsandawvrfan3800]

Allright! beutiful engine! I think a good review would be a Pensy T1 or a Q2. Just a recommendation.

[@TypicalJack997]

Oh my dad use to have trains like those but they had different livery’s

[@warrenwilson4818]

Thanks. (St. Joseph, MO, Nov. 27, 2019.)

[@christineanderson6750]

Looks amazing, makes me think of American flyer.

[@piedmontrailproductions4046]

Cool I love your vids is a streamliner

[@trainguy4265]

Eric, I feel like those engines are the exact same. They both have crew figures in the cab, and they have the same number, 54.

[@TomedysTrains]

Besides the electronics issue, one glaring issue with these Alco PAs from Lionel is that they don't have unique numbers for each AA set. Although it's neat that the Santa Fe versions of them have the lit number boards on the side.

[@whatthefreshflyingfricc1615]

I saw the Santa Fe version at my local hobby shop, as an HO scale modeler I have no idea how you can fit a logout that big in our house

[@atsf4life183]

First seven seconds was a rhyme☺️

[@benswestcoasttrains4442]

I understand completely what you mean. I have one of the new Visionline Challengers, and the net has been flooded with negativity toward those engines. Out of the box, it looks good, sounds good, and pulls well. I'm happy. Are you going to do a video on one of the new Challengers? Oooo...I see 3949 in there... :D

[@ldever3]

Not having a speaker in the back unit isn’t a big deal when running as an AA. But when I run my Sharknose as an ABBA, the lack of sound coming from the back units is very noticeable.

[@mirutanable]

The horn sounds like it's running through a fog Bank in the mountains

[@craigtruesdell9436]

FYI If you buy a set from someone on eBay who is not an authorized dealer (I did) and it has the defect from the factory (it does), they will not cover the defect under warranty as stated here in their email to me. "Do you by chance happen to have the receipt and seller name for this product? If it was purchased off eBay from a non-authorized dealer then it wouldn’t be covered under warranty." (I don't qualify) Great looking Denver & Rio Grande silver PA-1s with the super bass PB unit (no defect) that runs and sounds great on Bluetooth.

[@allegheny48]

Those are fine looking PA's Eric. Lionel did a great job on them. I especially like the close coupling between the units. I agree with your BFIMO though I thought it might have been the lit number boards on the sides. There were two small items that caught my eye. The pilot appears to be a bit too recessed under the nose and all those MU hoses don't belong on the PA's pilot if being modeled in "as built" condition. However they were added to some in later years in order to be able to MU with other diesels without being the lead unit. I would have liked to have seen Lionel offer the cover that hid the front coupler when first delivered. That would have been a neat addition. Do you plan on acquiring a set of streamlined passenger cars to couple behind the pair?

[@eottoe2001]

This is a bit off topic but these units really caught my attention and I'm thinking that I want to buy them. It would have been an instant sale if there had been D&H but those war bonnets are something to take the credit card out. They look expensive but in checking the inflation calculator and locating the original prices in the early 1950, the prices then to now are comparable to now in inflated dollars. I am starting to think the sacrifices our parents made to buy those train sets and locomotives for us. I wish that I appreciated them more. In 2019 if you get these units for $899US then that was like $84 in 1950s money -- keeping in mind you have two powered units which would be $42 apiece. In one post from the past there was a photo from a Sear's catalogue from 1952 with two FA units with a train set for $57.50 which $556 in 2019 dollar. That would have been one powered unit and one dummy. The high-end Lionel equipment wasn't cheap and it probably why a lot of them are still around seventy years later. Some people might find better numbers than the ones I posted and will disagree with this post but this was just a couple of Google searches of research so please be kind.

[@switchpointproductions7927]

Hey Eric, for your next video could you please film some run by’s of the train from low angles? It is really immersive and feels like your actually standing there.

[@Ericstrains]

Switchpoint Productions sure thing

[@switchpointproductions7927]

ericstrains Thanks Eric!!

[@Shipwright1918]

Most beautiful diesels ever made, bar none. Would like to have its "little brother", the FA, for my O-27 pike.

[@paulpatterson4983]

Shouldn't the units be numbered differently? 🤔#54, & 55, etc.

[@tom25pa]

It's called cost savings

[@tom25pa]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2S2mJiBqs6XjLM

[@metalmaniac1727]

I Think that was the same horn that was used on the Vision Centipedes

[@3dartistguy]

I WOULD LOVE TO PUT TOGETHER A montage of all your trains in operation.

[@Jimboliah3985]

Planning to review the new Vision Line Challengers?

[@engineerpat5290]

WONDERFUL VIDEO ERIC!! LOVE THE POINT ON MISTAKES!!!! WELL SAID!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TheTexasTrainMaster]

There's one in Texas at the Museum of the American railroad in Frisco although in a nutshell it has seen better days

[@TheTexasTrainMaster]

Actually they have a full size Alco PA that needs some major repair work

[@RYANHARNER]

Hey what’s up with the over bite on the front of those engines? It’s really quite noticeable. Is there any way to correct that?

[@TheCreativeType]

What if you wanted to run the front unit on its own, would everything work?

[@walterstrains5390]

Let's be honest the mistakes made in the prewar and post-war were much easier to fix than they are today. Back then as long as it ran, everyone loved it. I'm 26, back when I was growing up playing with H.O. Gauge trains the fancy features on the model trains didn't really develops until I was I think 3'rd or 4 'th grade. As long as the train ran good I loved it. I'm still That way today. Now with all the fancy features, it's hard to satisfy some. Oh well.

[@mootsym]

checking out pics of the real life versions of this.. did Lionel make a slight miss with the red color? In the pics I'm seeing, there's a little more gloss, and a little more red/less orange to it.

[@caverjam]

Can you explain the need for the bell and all the trains

[@Mrbowler300]

can you do a review on the 2 vison line challengers plaese

[@fairportrails107]

Lionel always does a great job with the Santa fes

[@jackhollandcsxnsandawvrfan3800]

Eric I have a question at 22:34 what kind of chalenger was that?

[@justinp7497]

ah yes 360p only the best!

[@zacharymichael6897]

What is version is that yellow challenger?

[@markcinque6786]

Nice horn!,19:26🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃😎🎸

[@tnewton7762]

What is that orange and yellow challenger

[@darylr.7499]

Hey bro do u have the santa fe el capitan set with the dome cars??

[@eottoe2001]

I wish they had a B unit to go with this set.

[@piedmontrailproductions4046]

I have a f9 santa fe o scale

[@Brendon_up1995]

Hey Eric, I usually model HO Scale but am starting to get into O Gauge.. what’s a good set/loco to get me going?

[@zeeeman8744]

Both Lionel and MTH make starter sets, it depends whether or not you want to go scale or traditional. Most if not all of the starter sets are traditional as far as I know. Check out their catalogues.

[@Railfan105.]

Hey, so the models didn't work reliably? Well that just makes them more realistic!

[@ianlikesguitars]

NKP 190!

[@Mrbowler300]

Do a review on George Washington 4-6-2 Pacific

[@WhiteCamry]

What's the magic word?

[@Mrbowler300]

@@WhiteCamry plaese

[@railfanjackson4531]

Welp, he just did.

[@mec4705]

If the smoke was be black it would be perfect. Great video

[@alexalexeych2180]

Красивый тепловоз!

[@miloa5833]

Hey eric how are you so lucky to afford all these amazing locomotives! Im still young and in highschool so i dont have a good concept of Money and i want a layout like yours. But im intimated by price

[@Ericstrains]

It's not luck. Go to school and work hard. That's how you do it.

[@microbusss]

if I get a loco with a mistake like that I'd ask if I could fix it myself or get a friend to fix it for me! to err is human to forgive is divine

[@PLLesniak]

what is your frivet part of the 2 units

[@Ericstrains]

what's a frivet?

[@MPT_Productions]

So you mentioned about Lionel fixing this model free of charge, and it works great now. What about the Challengers? Some people are saying they are fixing it, some saying they didn't do anything with them. Do you know the correct answer? Thanks. Also, very nice engine. Sounds great too.

[@railfanjackson4531]

I called Lionel and they are offering to fix it. They’ll also pay for shipping when you send it in. I’m sending mine in to fix the chuff.

[@MPT_Productions]

TrainfanJackson4023 ok

[@railfanjackson4531]

Hope that cleared things up for you.

[@MPT_Productions]

TrainfanJackson4023 it has thank you

[@silverstonestudios01]

How much was it?

[@challengerpat9810]

Here's some history of the 244 prime mover the first 244 went into a customers locomotive before the prototype went through a $6000 tear out test

[@douglasengle2704]

Like the video. If every model doesn't work after a track power on - off - on cycle when in command control mode that's ridicules. Not everybody has high speed internet access to calm their fear of possibly just blown out a $1000 locomotive set the second time they tried to run it. This problem should have shown up in random product sample testing with basic tests being performed, such as the test that it still works the next time it sees track power. People that have a lot of experience with first running lots of expensive models over years can probably tell themselves they've seldomly or never had a catastrophic situation take place when it suddenly doesn't work. Other people don't have that comfort and may think the worst.

[@Ericstrains]

Alrighty then.