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FM Erie Built Diesels Now being offered by 3rd Rail !!!! It’s been a while since these Beautiful diesels have been offered in O Scale. Details and versions will evolve based on demand. Most roads had “B” units, there’s some different paint schemes, and some front window variations. Stay tuned folks. These models will be Great !!!!!!  
An Exciting New Offering !!!!!! 😉

Cheers 😜

Last edited by TrainBub
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Oh wow . . . what a great surprise.  I don't see the Olympian Hiawatha paint job but am guessing it will get offered as people will want to run it with their GGD cars.  I have a full Atlas Erie Built A-B-B-A set (2 powered, 2 dummies) of that paint job that's about 20 years old now -- the Atlas units are nice but I will be really tempted if Scott offers that scheme.

I'm guessing the story was the same as with almost all non-EMD streamliners: the FM Erie Builts got an at-bat leading famous named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Broadway Limited, only to be demoted to more minor service after maintenance and reliability issues cropped up.  But: it would be plausible to see an A-B-A set heading many of the recently released GGD sets on your pike, including the three I mention above plus perhaps the El Capitan.  Yes?  I mean, not everything has to be headed by an E7 or E8.

Also -- awesome to see Fairbanks Morse finally get some 3rd Rail love!

Last edited by BlueFeather
@BlueFeather posted:

Oh wow . . . what a great surprise.  I don't see the Olympian Hiawatha paint job but am guessing it will get offered as people will want to run it with their GGD cars.  I have a full Atlas Erie Built A-B-B-A set (2 powered, 2 dummies) of that paint job that's about 20 years old now -- the Atlas units are nice but I will be really tempted if Scott offers that scheme.

I'm guessing the story was the same as with almost all non-EMD streamliners: the FM Erie Builts got an at-bat leading famous named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Broadway Limited, only to be demoted to more minor service after maintenance and reliability issues cropped up.  But: it would be plausible to see an A-B-A set heading many of the recently released GGD sets on your pike, including the three I mention above plus perhaps the El Capitan.  Yes?  I mean, not everything has to be headed by an E7 or E8.

Also -- awesome to see Fairbanks Morse finally get some 3rd Rail love!

As I told Scott yesterday when we were discussing this project on the phone, the Erie Built is a great locomotive as it pulled all the premier trains he has offered over the years .... for about 6 months before being demoted to other duties.    The PRR ones ended their life in the 1950s as class FF-20.  Like every announcement this is a work in progress.  I don't see why the Olympian scheme wouldn't be offered as it pairs with the Hiawatha so well.  Just give it a few weeks to gestate. 

@BlueFeather posted:

There was also apparently an FM Erie Built A-B-A demonstrator set that was eventually repainted for UP.  So that's another possible livery, and certainly one that's never been done in O to my knowledge.  Google doesn't return any image results.  Jonathan, I'm sure you will have a blast digging into these!

Interesting.  Might have to see what is out there to track that one down.  Demonstrator schemes from that era are often hard to find and even harder in color.  What is that phrase?  "The game is afoot?" 

@GG1 4877 posted:

As I told Scott yesterday when we were discussing this project on the phone, the Erie Built is a great locomotive as it pulled all the premier trains he has offered over the years .... for about 6 months before being demoted to other duties.    The PRR ones ended their life in the 1950s as class FF-20.  Like every announcement this is a work in progress.  I don't see why the Olympian scheme wouldn't be offered as it pairs with the Hiawatha so well.  Just give it a few weeks to gestate.

Big popular road names,  links to past GGD Passenger Offerings !!! 😮
Great Appeal Factor There !!! 😜    
The makings of Another Great 3rd Rail Offering 🙂😉

Last edited by TrainBub
@GG1 4877 posted:

Interesting.  Might have to see what is out there to track that one down.  Demonstrator schemes from that era are often hard to find and even harder in color.  What is that phrase?  "The game is afoot?"

I'm in for the Demonstrator scheme. I believe it was the FM A-A UP scheme with "Fairbanks Morse" spelled out on the sides between the cab door and the side engine access door before the cooling grills.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=3141256

In November, 1951, two of New York Central's passenger Erie-Builts were on The Michigan, and -- within a few miles after leaving the station stop at Kalamazoo -- they were involved in a flaming road crossing collision caused by a gasoline truck being driven onto the track directly in front of the train.  A switch engine had just cleared the crossing on an adjacent track, and the truck driver started across immediately, without waiting for the switcher to go far enough to provide a view of approaching trains on the main track.  The Erie-Builts were severely damaged by fire and somewhat damaged due to the collision with the truck, but did not derail.  The Engineer, Howard Cole, managed to pull the train clear of the fire at the crossing before stopping.  The nose door remained intact, but the locomotives were covered by flaming gasoline and he was severely burned.  He was featured in several articles in the Locomotive Engineers' Journal dealing with gasoline truck/train collisions.  He survived the accident, but photos showed his face disfigured.

The Erie-Builts were repaired and returned to service.

@Andrew B. posted:

How did the PRR tend to run these? A-B? A-A? A-B-B? A-B-A? Some other combo?

@Andrew B.  Just went through my Staufer books and it seems all configurations were used.  Several photos show ABA, but also AA and a few AB.  There is an photo of an AAA, but it is an F3/E-B/C-Liner combo.  There were 36 A-units and only 12 B-units, so with the 12 extra A-units I imagine AA combos were common.  Keep in mind the Erie-Builts were 2000hp vs the F3 and Shark with 1,500hp, which may be another reason why there are several photos of them as AA.

The Pennsy initially bought a combination of freight and passenger Erie-Builts (FF20 and FP20) , then shortly after that regeared some of the freights to passenger (FP20a).  They didn't do well in passenger service and all were converted to freight (FF20).  I have not been able to find the date when the Erie-Builts were all converted/regeared to freight.

By the way, FM's 10-cylinder opposed-piston engines were great in submarines but did not transition well to land.  They were initially not reliable and by the time FM worked out the bugs with the engine, EMD had taken over the market.  FM could not get a foot hold, and like Baldwin and ALCO, soon left the market.

Last edited by CAPPilot
@CAPPilot posted:
I have not been able to find the date when the Erie-Builts were all converted/regeared to freight.

According to Pennsy Diesels 1924-1968 by Douglas & Weiglin (page 66), all FP20 and FP20a units were converted to FF20 by the end of 1953.  There was only one ABA set of FP20's and 3 ABA sets of converted FP20a's.  The remaining 28 A-units and 8 B-units were all class FF20.

The first orders for Erie-Builts in April and July 1947 were for ABA sets.  The final order, in February 1948 was for 12 A-units and no B-units.

@Bob posted:

According to Pennsy Diesels 1924-1968 by Douglas & Weiglin (page 66), all FP20 and FP20a units were converted to FF20 by the end of 1953.  There was only one ABA set of FP20's and 3 ABA sets of converted FP20a's.  The remaining 28 A-units and 8 B-units were all class FF20.

The first orders for Erie-Builts in April and July 1947 were for ABA sets.  The final order, in February 1948 was for 12 A-units and no B-units.

@Bob  Thank you.  I need to add this book to my limited library.  I would have thought all the FPs would have been converted well before 1953.

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