FM Erie Built A Unit ATSF Version

These are N scale 3D printable files for the Fairbanks-Morse Erie Built A Unit in Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway markings — specifically modeled with road-specific details for ATSF units 90 and 90B, capturing the distinctive features that set the Santa Fe's Erie Builts apart from other roads' examples. Designed to fit on a Kato PA frame.

The Erie Built was Fairbanks-Morse's entry into the postwar passenger locomotive market, produced between 1945 and 1949 in partnership with the General Electric Company at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania plant. Powered by FM's unique opposed-piston engine — in which two pistons share a single cylinder moving in opposite directions, eliminating the cylinder head entirely — the Erie Built offered exceptional power density in an elegant streamlined carbody styled by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, with the distinctive "shark nose" profile that made it one of the most visually striking passenger locomotives of the early diesel era. A total of 82 A units were built across seven railroads, with the Pennsylvania Railroad taking the largest order at 36 units and the Santa Fe among the smallest with just 2 A units — making the ATSF examples among the rarest Erie Builts in service.

What the Santa Fe lacked in quantity it more than made up for in spectacle. Units 90 and 90B wore the railroad's breathtaking red and silver warbonnet livery — one of the most celebrated paint schemes in railroad history — and worked the premier passenger corridor between Chicago and Los Angeles, hauling the famous Super Chief, El Capitan, and San Francisco Chief across the desert Southwest. This model incorporates the road-specific details — including distinctive equipment arrangements, grille configurations, and other prototype-accurate features — that distinguish the ATSF examples from the generic Erie Built body.

This A unit is the perfect companion to the FM Erie Built B Unit ATSF version also available from Out of the Box Models, allowing you to build a complete and prototypically accurate A-B consist as the Santa Fe operated them on its premier passenger trains.

After purchase, your digital files will be available for immediate direct download from your order confirmation. These files are for Personal Use Only — if you are interested in a commercial license, please contact us.

Please allow a few weeks for 3D printing and shipping. Decals are shipped separately — please allow some additional time for decal printing and shipping after ordering.