Lionel Santa Fe ALCO PA A-A Set Reviewed

Hi Eric: As always I enjoyed your video review of Lionel's latest SF Alco PA AA set - including your 'elephant in the room' and 'soap box' comments.

Regarding your BFIMO 'horn' selection, I too think it sounds very good; but my favorite Alco PA horn sound is the combined sound of the 'AB' units (6-18952 and 6-18965 respectively) which Lionel released in 1997-98. For its time it sounded great (as in powerful) - like a NATHAN 5-chime horn. While you may not have ever heard it, perhaps someone on this Forum (more skilled than I) will post a short video of this particular 'AB' set.

Keep doing your videos!

Eric as always well done review cant wait for my NYC units to return from Lionel.

Yes, the horn is sharp. I do like the early diesel (and some late steam) "blat" horns, anyway.

Very nice review, thanks for posting, they do grow on you.

Eric, thanks for a great review, maybe one of these days a set of those will be pulling some of the SF passenger cars that i have.  I really like your layout, I wish you would show more of it.  I agree, the horn is a really nice feature.  What I was very surprised at was the moveable rear ladders on both units.  I thought that was a great idea by Lionel.  Very cool feature. I also agree with your assessment about mistakes being made.  Like you stated, mistakes happen as we are only human and NO ONE is perfect and mistake free.  I was but that was a looong time ago and we won't go into now.   Great review and thanks again for posting it.

PH1975 posted:

... my favorite Alco PA horn sound is the combined sound of the 'AB' units (6-18952 and 6-18965 respectively) which Lionel released in 1997-98. For its time it sounded great (as in powerful) - like a NATHAN 5-chime horn. While you may not have ever heard it, perhaps someone on this Forum (more skilled than I) will post a short video of this particular 'AB' set.

Nice review and excellent commentary on the mistakes and how they are handled. 

I bought the MTH versions of these and right out of the box they had problems.  But my dealer's MTH tech made repairs right away for me. 

HOBBY-GO-LUCKY. Thanks for posting the video of 6-18952 and 6-18965 but in particular I was thinking about the sound the horns make when the rpms are highest.

PH1975 posted:

I was thinking about the sound the horns make when the rpms are highest.