Rapido Trains FA-2 Operation Manual - page 10
10
Sinclair Antenna
Canadian National and Canadian Pacific units were later provided with Sinclair radio antennas
on the roof behind the horn. The two holes for this part are located inside the shell.
Nose Access Grab Irons
Around 1960 the Federal Railroad Authority (FRA) in the USA mandated that all cab units should
have fixed access to the top of the nose for cleaning. Most railroads installed a series of grabs
on the engineer’s side of the nose (such as the GN, LV, NYC and PRR). The Erie Railroad installed
theirs on the front of the nose, while the L&N adopted an actual fixed ladder. The side of the
pilot was often modified with an additional step. The B&O used a combination of grabs with a
side platform but they are out of period with the 1956 era scheme that we’ve used. These will be
provided with future runs.
We’ve provided a choice of plastic or metal wire grabs. The pre-painted metal grabs are made
from 0.25mm wire and should look great. However, we also provided plastic grabs complete
with nut/bolt/washer castings because we know that some people like these. The choice is yours!
Louvers
Many railroads fitted louvers in the nose to try and reduce draughts to the cab caused by the
traction motors sucking air through every available orifice! We tooled up a special nose just for
the B&O locomotives with the distinctive four vertical louvers. The Erie Railroad used the most
dramatic shop modification which comprised two large mesh grilles on both sides of the nose.
These weren’t fitted from new and they appear to have been removed by the Erie-Lackawanna
days. Because of this we’ve provided the grille as an pre-painted etched part. The easiest and
quickest way to install this is simply to glue it in place using white glue. This isn’t a perfect solution
as they are slightly inset into the body on the real thing. However, this is experienced modeller
territory and well beyond the bounds of this instruction manual.
Ladder Grab
Before 1960 many US railroads installed a single ladder grab on the top corner of both sides
of the nose to make access to the top of the nose safer for cleaning. This comes pre-installed on
some locomotives. The GN, LV and NYC units did not have these from new but they were installed
later so we’ve provided them for you to add if you so wish. See the drawing for typical location.
Nose Top MU Box
Many railroads installed MU jumper boxes to the front of their FAs and these could be located
almost anywhere. The Erie’s solution was unique and we just had to make it. These were installed
in Erie days and lasted until retirement. It’s a simple addition to the top of the light housing and
requires you to make just two small holes. Install with a dab of white glue.
Large Winterization Hatch
The winterization hatches on CPR’s FAs caused us much difficulty. In their early days there seem
to have been at least three different versions located at the rear of the radiator fan. We’ve
standarized on the most common type that lasted on these locomotive right through to retirement.
This hatch is factory installed. The forward mounted hatch was also installed on most units - check
dated photos of your chosen road number. This is a simple job to install on your model. Just drill
four holes - there are starter holes on the underside of the roof.
MU Hoses
The B&O, Erie, LV did not have MU hoses from new but these were installed at a later date.
We’ve provided one version but as these often differed in design you might want to use other
aftermarket parts. A drill template is provided for the location.