The FT - Diesel Locomotives - HO scale

HO Scale EMC/EMD FT Locomotive

General Motors’ FT diesels were truly game changers. They could well be considered the first successful diesel road locomotive, and initial success with FTs convinced many steam-era railroads to start retiring steam and dieselize their fleets. The FT introduced EMD’s iconic bulldog nose to the world, a design that would carry over onto thousands of E- and F-series
locomotives, as well as others worldwide.

The first FTs were built for the Santa Fe at the end of 1940 and early 1941. Additional units were delivered to US railroads across the country until production ended in 1945. During its production life 555 FT A-units were built along with 541 FT B-units, with many lasting in service into the 1960s. Equipped with EMD’s 567 prime mover, each single unit was rated at 1,350
horsepower. Most ran as semi-permanently coupled 2,700 horsepower A+B sets, but some roads (like the Santa Fe) had couplers installed on both ends of all units for maximum flexibility.

Like many locomotives, the FT fleet underwent numerous modifications and rebuilds during its service life. Many road-specific changes would appear, including changes to number boards, pilots, cooling systems and more.

Rapido’s all-new HO scale FT locomotive models have many features never offered before in an FT model. These include a close coupling system to keep the A and B units close together on straights, yet still allow operation on model railroad curves. Units can be coupled with either a drawbar connection or couplers, mimicking the prototype. Three versions of dynamic brake hatch will be offered. Three- and four-digit lighted number boards will also be produced. Many road-specific details will be made including different nose door arrangements, unique pilot and truck details, as well as rebuilt number boards. Full underbody details will be offered, including the massive coupler draft gear at each end of each A+B Set. A complete cab interior rounds off the model.

Power will be provided by Rapido’s proven five-pole motor with dual flywheels, backed up with our MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted operation. All models will be DCC-ready, and sound-equipped models will feature ESU V5 decoders and full lighting effects as appropriate.

We’ve had some questions regarding unit numbering on the Santa Fe FTs. The Santa Fe, particularly in earlier years, liked to run their FTs in matched sets. They were designated ‘XXX L/A/B/C (XXX being the road number). However, the only designation visible on the outside of each unit during the era that our schemes are appropriate for was small 2” letters on the rear of the silver warbonnet passenger units only. The main number boards all carried the same number.

So, if you’d like a four unit set all with the same numbers, just order two identical sets. On the Warbonnet units we will include a small decal sheet with appropriate unit numbers that can be added to the rear of the A and B units as desired.

The Rapido Trains HO scale New FT locomotive features: