Coming 2013! Watch for more information...
HO Scale MLW FPA-4 and FPB-4

FPA-4. Few locomotives in Canada have inspired the imagination as much as these brutish beauties. Few in number, and only on one railroad, the FPA-4 (and its booster brother, the FPB-4) nevertheless came to symbolize modern passenger power in Canada.

History

In the 1950s, Canadian National took delivery of several FA-2 and FPA-2 engines from Montreal Locomotive Works. These were all equipped with Alco's 244-series prime mover, but it proved unreliable. CN was in need of an upgraded model, especially for its fast passenger trains in central and eastern Canada. MLW responded with the FPA-4 and FPB-4, 1800-horsepower units equipped with the new, rock-solid 251-series prime mover.

CN ended up being the only customer, and despite their enormous popularity among railfans only 34 FPA-4s and 12 FPB-4s were ever built. They soldiered on for three decades all across Canada, especially between Winnipeg and Halifax. However, despite their reputation for being "eastern" locomotives, the FPA-4s and FPB-4s made it all the way out to Vancouver and Prince Rupert in service.

The locomotives were transferred to VIA ownership in 1978 and retired in 1988/1989 due to new Transport Canada regulations requiring Reset Safety Controls in all leading locomotives. Even 25 years after delivery, VIA Rail Canada still regarded the FPA-4 as an image of modernity and style in the 1983 timetable cover photo seen here. However, as VIA was in the process of being decimated by the Mulroney government at the time, it was decided to sell rather than upgrade them. Numerous tourist lines, such as the Napa Valley Wine Train and the Grand Canyon Railway, have preserved these unique locomotives in service for a new generation of railfans.

Photo courtesy of Bob Pennisi

The Models

Rapido Trains Inc. is proud to present the first-ever models of CN's FPA-4 and FPB-4 locomotives in HO scale. Many manufacturers have tried their hands at the Alco FA-series locomotives, and after every release everyone complains that they didn't get the nose or the roof contour right.

So we've decided to do something unprecedented in our industry: we have performed a 3D scan of the entire FPA-4 locomotive. There will be no guesswork, no costly revisions, and no complaints of bad noses or roof contours. (Well, we are sure that some people will still complain!) We will take the 1:1 model and scale it down to HO. Click here for full information on the scan.

The FPA-4 and FPB-4 locomotive models will feature Rapido's usual insane level of detail, from underbody piping to Dofasco logos on the trucks to visible details behind the grills. This is not an Alco model painted in Canadian colours, but an MLW locomotive from the ground up.

Photo courtesy of Kaluza-Mueller collection

How do I order?

You can't order - not yet. We will release pricing and product number information when we have our first samples from the factory, in the first half of 2012. The FPA-4 and FPB-4 are not expected to arrive in stores until 2013, so you have plenty of time to save up for your new models!

More information to come. Click here to sign up for our newsletter and ensure that you will get the latest FPA-4 and FPB-4 news as soon as we release it!

Photo courtesy of Kaluza-Mueller collection

Click on the banner below for exciting details on this project!