Will it Run? N Scale Con-Cor Alco PA1, Rio Grande, Trains with Shane Ep 84

[@engineerpat5290]

CON COR!! Oh they were good! Love the PA in the DRGW Paint scheme. I have a Life like UP Alco PA. The Con cors are underappreciated! Con Cor and kato had a deal many years ago!!! Great find Shane!!!

[@avlisk]

We had a set of Pennsy PA's and a Hudson, both by Con-Cor back in the 1970's/80's. They were in another league when it came to reliability and smooth running. The Atlas Geeps (and whatever else we owned, I don't remember) never ran well. The variety of good-running locos was so limited, I made the decision to go with HO. If I were starting out today, N scale offers so much, such good quality, in so little a space, I think I would go with N.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

I agree. Back in the 70's you had the Athearn Blue Box, Atlas Yellow Box, etc. in HO scale which were EXCELLENT runners. The early Bachmann that were made in Hong Kong, that had the metal truck gears, were ok, but Atlas back then was made by either Mehano/AHM, Rivarossi, or Roco and were pretty horrid. Wasn't until Kato entered their partnership with Atlas in the 80's that Atlas locomotives started to get decent. Although I have heard that old Trix, Arnold, etc. were pretty good back in the day in N scale. These days even Bachmann makes decent running N scale stuff.

[@joeystrains.9316]

Great looking PA, Shane.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Thanks Joey! After dropping some Labelle on it and running it around my brother's layout for a few minutes it keeps getting even better.

[@owenlaprath4135]

The Alcos with the pronounced eye-brow window rain-sill, that thingy that sticks out over the cab's side windows and bends down towards the rear, were PA1 units. All it needs is some eye shade and mascara, and it's a Beauty-Queen, as it was elected the most beautiful Diesel ever. Mind you, I think others are much prettier, but tastes in girls vary ... BEWARE! These old Con-Cor machines were Kato in disguise, but Kato was still learning in those days, and learn they did! For one, the old motors are often beyond rescue, but dowsing them in CRC Switch Cleaner can help. WORSE: I think I mentioned this before, but on a lot of switches these old Con-Cor C-C locos always derailed. The culprit is the idler axle at the far inner end and the bad geometry they chose for the bogie, not pivoting on the centre axle, but asymmetrically. The drive axles push the leading idler (so always the rear bogie as the engine is running) to the outer rail of a curve. The wheel flange then gets caught on the end of any nearby switch tongue, cuts into the switch or simply lifts, and WHOOPSY! The ONLY cure I found, was to shave off the flange of the idler axles' wheels! That works, but you need to practise on some old tossers first, to get the Dremel shaveing technique right. I use a cylindrical polishing bit, hold it on the wheel's flange at about 45 degrees, so it forces the wheel to rotate while still installed, and gradually shave off the flange straight down all the way flat! I no longer even look at vintage US market models, because I have run into way too many real problems with Con-Cor, LifeLike, and whatever US-branded model trains from before the 2000s. YIKES! Forget about Atlas and Bachmann, as they were seriously evil!!

[@fredmauck6934]

Very good review. I have two Con-Cor SP PA1s bought in the mid-70s built exactly like the unit that you reviewed. They were the best running locomotives in the day. I have converted one to DCC with a Digitrax DZ126. I am still in trials with CVs trying to get smooth startup. I appreciate the info you have provided about the origins of this model.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Thanks Fred! Honestly they are still pretty decent by today's standards as long as they've been taken care of. I'll bet the starting voltage needs to be pretty high on a DCC conversion on one of these. I'm guessing you had to mill the top of the frame?

[@alcobufff]

Hi Shane! That would be a PA-1, because of the side projecting number boards on the nose. The PA-2 had more traditional number boards. I actually have that same model in D&H paint.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Thanks Peter!

[@bryanwoodward7687]

I have a C&O version of the Con Cor PA-1… The PA-1 is a excellent runner … The air horns is normal… That is a good fine Shane…

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Thanks Bryan. Chris really likes it. I've got one of these in Southern Pacific Daylight passenger colors. Interestingly I picked it up at the same train show a year or so prior.

[@williamkinkopf7125]

If you take the top chassis off the rest of it sort of falls apart so i understand why you dont want do do it but if i remember correctly ( i have three of the early ones) there is a small flywheel on each driveshaft

[@judyrush3219]

I have a PRR and Santa Fe.

[@MattKonsol]

Very nice alco pa from con cor your brother owns. The paint on it looks nice. Btw I didn’t you could use grit sandpaper to clean your wheels. I use rubbing alcohol to clean them maybe sometimes I’ll use a track brite but nice review on this.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

The used stuff I usually come across is usually so poorly taken care of that neither alcohol or mineral spirits will touch the crud on the wheels. I've spent a lot of time attempting it.

[@bobkohl6779]

AlCO FA were freight

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Thanks Bob!