History/Info on Lionel's early Alco PA's

I believe that the Santa Fe was cataloged in 1996 and the NYC was cataloged in 1997. I think the PB units were both cataloged in late 1997 or early 1998.

I would speculate that both the NYC and Santa Fe PA's were produced in relatively large numbers. They were a low priced scale size locomotive. I remember NYC units being blown out in the late 90's for $150 - $175. 

The PB units have been relatively easy to find IMHO, but maybe not as easy as the PA.

I remember that many folks were miffed when these came out because there are slight dimples on the top of the nose cause by screw posts extending downward under the shell. Some examples are more noticeable than other. 

I went to go buy one of the NYC units back in the day and was put off by the dimple and bought something else.

The Erie PA & PB (I don't think the Erie owned any PB???) cataloged a year or two later are harder to find. 

I think at the time they came out, the NYC PB was harder to come by than the earlier A unit.  I can't comment on the SF version since I wasn't actively looking for it.

I didn't specifically remember it as a blow out (but might have been because I was not frequenting forums at the time), but I did pick up an extra A unit a couple years after the main set for $125.

You didn't ask, but I also believe for the NYC that the 2 pack of matching passenger cars were made in far fewer numbers than the 4 pack.

-Dave

In the prototype, the ERIE did not roster any PB units. Most ERIE passenger trains would be powered by a single PA unit. 

Lionels first PAs were the Rio Grande A-B-A made for their California Zephyr train in the early 1990s. This was followed by an Erie Lackawanna A-A set for an EL Phoebe Snow set I believe. These were not TMCC equipped but had Railsounds. Both of these engines were produced by Samhongsa in Korea when Mike Wolf had a working association with Lionel. Mike Wolf produced an Erie Lackawanna B unit for this engine but under the MTH brand. In the prototype, the B unit was non-existent since Erie never rostered them.

Usually when Lionel made add ons for sets, locomotives or passenger cars, the quantities of the add-ons were usually less than the item the add-on was made for. the thinking seemed to be that not everyone that bought the original set would by the add-on. 

The Santa Fe and NYC PAs and ERIE were TMCC equipped . They did not have the engine sounds. That was offered in the PBs that Lionel made as ***-ons for these.

Lackawanna 6-18116

D&RG #? Yellow/Black

Later on

D&RG 6-24500, 24503 Black/Yellow

They also made a New Haven ABA set 6-14596,14599

Larry

6-18116 is for the Erie-Lackawanna engine. Lackawanna did not own PAs.

6-18107 is for the first D&RGW, yellow and silver with black stripes

I never saw one of these in the flesh, but have seen a bunch by MTH and have converted three of them to metal.  As far as I can tell, with the exception of the anti- climber on the lower nose, the MTH units are as accurate as any PAs ever in O Scale.