Any Difference in WBB F-Units?

The f7 has the incorrect kusan nose contour. The f3 is a direct copy of the Lionel f3. The f3 nose contour is better proportioned however the windshields are too squat.

Well here I pulled out my Williams New Haven F3 and my Williams ACL F7 Because they have the brighter paint schemes to see detail. I see that the windshield has dropped on the F3 but  I like the F7 in the comparison. The F7 has more detail like rivets, flush porthole windows and a steam generator as well as better cast horns. The F7 has a very smooth nose and the F3 has add on nose grabs metal ladders and roof mount metal brake grills

 

Really they are both F3 models but the Kusan is a later full side metal grill model while the Lionel based version is a so called Chicken wire grill model. 

 

The Kusan is a little bit taller while the "Lionel" is a little wider. They share truck castings, pilots and I think motors.

Thanks for the photos, that helps a lot! I can see that neither is very close to the correct profile, the front of the F7's nose is too vertical, while the windshields of the F3 have too much of a "California chopped-top" look to suit me, the top of the diaphragm has a funky cathedral looking arch, and the rounded curves on the nose don't look quite right to me either. It does look more like the Lionel she'll, but I don't think Lionel got it right either.

 

I'm sure the coming Atlas F7 will be better (but will I be able to afford it?), and probably the MTH Premiere is better too (but not the Rugged Rails version, it's just too small). As I remember, the Roco/Atlas F9 from the seventies wasn't too bad, except that it was an F9 rather than an F7, the sideframes broke off easily, the axle gears were prone to splitting, and making it operate on 3-rail track was a problem.

 

Do the currently available Williams F7's that are sold in sets of two A units (one powered & one dummy, have knuckle couplers on both ends of both units, or are they connected with a drawbar between them? The catalog jus says "working front couplers", and the optional B-unit doesn't mention couplers, which makes me wonder if it has draw bars as well.

 

Thanks again for the photos,

Bill in FtL

The F-7 uses the old AMT molds made in the 50's. It has taller windshields, a sheet metal chassis and can motors with thick, hockey puck type flywheels.

 

The F-3 is a copy of the Lionel postwar F-3. It has squattier windshields, the car body is not as tall as the F-7, the flywheels on the motors are thin and wide, like a pizza, and the chassis is diecast. The F-3 needs thinner flywheels because the inside height of the body is lower than other Williams diesels. The actual motors are the same as the F-7 and other late model Williams diesels, , but the flywheels are not.

 

The newer RailKing F-3s are copies of the Lionel postwar locos as well. The short original railking F-3 got demoted to the rugged rails line.

 

The rears of both types of Williams A units, as well as the railking units have fixed knuckle couplers, not draw bars.

I would not buy either, the F3 is not bad but the F7 is just too bazaar looking. If you want a good looking set of F units then I would buy the premier version from MTH. If they are to expensive for you then the pw Lionel clones from MTH in the rail king line. 

 

Both have command and great sounds. 

FYI, for anyone interested in having a powered B unit. The MTH scaleking (pw clone) F3 B unit uses the C clip mount trucks and is not easy to power. The Williams (pw clone) F3 B unit can be powered with Williams power kit as the frame already has mounts for power trucks.