Jon,
Thanks so much for correcting me on this. I bought this engine as a single unit on E-Bay, and it was advertised as an Alco. Of course, I believed them.
When it arrived in the single Lionel box, there was really not much labeling on the box, except a small tag that said Lionel 6-24568 FT. I had no idea that the FT was an engine type.
The good new, is that it runs great, and the sound system works, and it handles 031 curves and switches without a hickup. Just wish I had known more about its size.
Thanks,
Mannyrock