The Lionel Santa Fe FA No. 212 would replace the No. 218 in 1964, and would be available for two additional years. Painted in the Santa Fe war bonnet paint scheme with BLACK heat-stamped lettering, it was equipped with two traction tires on the power truck, a horn, and a light in the powered unit. Additional tractive effort was aided by a weight in the power unit.

A two position directional unit whose control lever was adjustable from the top of the body controled the direction of this diesel. A single vertical worm drive Type IIIB motor powers two axles. and the sheet metal chassis have solid non-operating couplers. Open pilot body mold with a large ledge.

These diesels are often found with combinations of the following variations: Variation A: Built date printed out as "BLT 8-57 / BY LIONEL". Variation B: No built date as follows: "BLT / BY LIONEL".

All of the Lionel Alco FA units are designed to work on the tighter radius of O27 Gauge track, but they will run equally well on O Gauge track.