I bought a PA!

You got a great deal on those, and free shipping. The Bachmann website price is around $450.00.

The Williams that I have are very good quality and will haul a lot of cars, the GP-9's are very fast for their size, the SD-45's are a bit slower on take off but haul a lot too.

So far my worst problem if it is a problem was dirty track and the whistle going off when it wanted to, that is on my S-2 steam engine. I have some of my Williams engines for close to 12 years, and just have to clean the wheels and lube them a little.

Lee Fritz

The PAs are some of my favorite diesels. Nice purchase at a great price. Good luck with your new set.

It's been a while since I've seen a Williams/WBB PA-1 in person, but doesn't the body shell represent the original Santa Fe configuration, with the single rooftop-mounted number board?  I don't recall if Williams/WBB offered it without that number board so it would be accurate for other roads that ran them (although I know that it would also be correct for the D&H since they did purchased some of Santa Fe's PA-1s).

I have a set of MTH Rugged Rails PRR Madison cars I plan to pull with the PAs. Although the cars are not scale length(I have about nine), they should look good.   I bought a set of the FAs in the Western Maryland "circus" scheme about a year ago.  They look very nice.  I'll use the FAs to pull a string of MTH B & O Railking streamlined cars.  Those B & O cars are decorated in a simplified yellow blue and gray scheme that looks like it came from the 1960s-early 70s-just before Amtrak, I think.  Thanks for the comments! 

Hi, John.

Yes, the Williams PA has the Santa Fe style number board above the cab.

Regards,

Bob

Visually, the Williams PAs and some of their other diesels give the appearance of the goofy  'high water' look due to the very undersized fuel tanks. In the NYC example above and especially ones with the silver trucks this is a real killer for me. Much of the beauty and appeal of the real PA is the massive, brutish look of these classic locomotives which is completely lacking in the Williams design.

Here is an older pair of Williams Santa Fe's that I repainted into the 'Aspen Leaf' scheme of the D&RG. I used balsa wood and plated over the diminutive stock tanks to get the look I was after. 

I always thought they were undersize.  i have been told they are full scale.  My favorites are the MTH.

Yes they look great and the Williams engines run very well.

Got an ABA set in the Santa Fe warbonnet scheme love them they look great.

And picked up a set of the CP along with 8 of the silver passengers cars that go with them great deal from Pat's and Trainworld had the ABA sets a while back for $199 as well!

Was just running the CP set look great streaking around the ceiling loop!

I picked up an A-B-A set of WBB Lehigh & New England Alco FA-2s the trucks are a little short and the fuel tanks are little small and I was lucky to find a B-unit. Overall they can’t be beat for the money. As soon as I receive the boards from The Electric Railroad Co. they will be upgraded to TMCC.