Did the K-Line ALCo dummy have traction tires and working headlight?? Reason I ask: Just received in the mail what had been described as a powered unit. However, it has no motors but does have the above equipment. Suggests to me that the can motors have been removed, eh? 
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You are most likely correct in your assessment as there would be no reason for traction tires in a dummy unit. It could be a production piece in some unusual circumstance however....
Did you purchase and were expecting a 'powered unit'?
Are the motors mounted in the trucks.
Bill
As I recall they used the same power trucks for both units. So traction tires would not be unusual.
-I did purchase it on eBay expecting a powered unit as described. The seller said he had purchased it years ago and just put it on the shelf. It hadn't been run in years. (I can see why!) 
-There are no motors in the trucks, just big holes. I can see, if K-Line used the exact same trucks, why there could theoretically be traction tires on a dummy.
Thanks, gents, for your interest!
I can see, if K-Line used the exact same trucks, why there could theoretically be traction tires on a dummy.
Thanks, gents, for your interest!
Simply, if K-Line used the "exact same trucks" as in a powered unit, why would they have REMOVED the tires, which would leave the "tire grove" open in the treads of those wheels? That's NOT LOGICAL.
TrainsRMe,
I run many of this sort of early traditional K-Line locos and have purchased many Alco FAs. Not saying there couldn't be a production abnormality, but the ones I've bought and have seen do not have traction tires on the dummy unit, though they do use the have the grooved wheels for traction tires in the same arrangement as the powered units.
It might not seem logical HotWater, but it saves the added costs of labor and material in adding the traction tires. I have never purchased a brand new dummy unit that had traction tires on the grooved wheels.
On the main inner truck assembly piece, you will also see the molded spurs where the gears should be. Both powered and dummy units used the same part, but the dummy units came with no gears. Dummy units did have an operating light.
If someone removed the motors from your unit, they went through some serious effort as they would have had to pulled the wheels off and remove the gears in order to access the screws that hold the motor in place. Not impossible, but a good deal of effort considering the cost of the motors as parts. Then again, the motors may be getting in short supply. And although Lionel and K-Line used nearly identical type motors in their engines of this price range type, they are not interchangeable as there are a differing number of gear teeth on the motors for K-Line and Lionel brands of engines.
Just for more information, some production Alco FA units that came as a single unit in a train set or as separate sale had an operating coupler on the rear. Early production units could have operating couplers on both ends of a single unit, both powered A and dummy A units.
Later on, Alco units had a very short dummy coupler on the rear, so the multiple units would be closer together. Later units also had a rubber diaphragms on the rear. Some of the later production Alco FAs came with both units A units powered. When K-Line included their short-lived "Real Sounds" in the Alcos, the sound usually came in the B unit, with the both A units being powered.
brianel027 - Oh thank you so much for all your obviously authoratative information. This does have gearing on it. Anyway, the seller has agreed to make it right, attempting to locate the powered unit or refunding my hard-earned cash.
Never seen that! Pictures, please...
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