Compare: Neil Young PRR F3 with 24584 PRR F7

Both of these are beautiful models Frank and you can't go wrong with either. The Neil Young version is a semi-scale F3 based on the postwar cabs with most of the premium details added including the roof antennas while the other F7 is a full blown scale model based on new tooling from 2003 or thereabouts. They are apples & oranges.

According to Lionel's site here below these are not Legacy but are almost as good. Legacy gives you the ability to control the hits on the bell and to 'quill' the horn. Many of us like the regular horns better and the RS 5 is quite good. All that aside,  these are very nice pieces!

 http://www.lionel.com/products...-dmy-a-9643-6-24584/

FTAUSS,

     Unless you are getting the F7s for a great price ($400 to $450 max) for a ABA set I would wait till Lionel introduces a Legacy F unit that is scale. I'd stay away from the NY Fs as they are not scale. They are nice looking but I am a scale guy. Plus the Pennsylvania  used F units for freight never pulled passenger trains with Fs, for that you will need E units. Be patient I'm sure Lionel will be doing PRR scale Legacy Fs soon.

JohnB

Yes the F7 is not Legacy, it is TMCC. Got ahead of myself on that. The NY is Legacy.

I have heard people comment that even if the F3 are not scale they are pretty darn close. And I do have a mix of sizes. I love my little 4-4-2s. Then I got a scale one. My Williams Sharks are huge so they must be scale.

And I know about the freight/passenger deal. I found them as separate sale items, an AA set and a powered B. Wasn't getting the passengers set.

That suggested price is way lower than the advertised price. Ouch, mebbe I should think before I spend.

Thanks

Just my $.02 m, I'm not an expert and to me these are still toy trains so there's no right or wrong. It's what you like and that goes for what it pulls too. If you're a scale guy running prototypical then you would not pull passenger cars with a locomotive that only pulled freight (although I seem to recall when I asked that question any the NY Pennsy F3's I was told by one of the more knowledgable guys here that one color scheme did) that being said, when my NY Texas Special F3's are along side my scale Burlington F3's you can't tell the difference. The NY's are about less than 1" short as were their Post War cousins. And they have smooth pilots. As I said, I'm not an expert so I'm sure there are other differences. 

Whatever your decision, enjoy!

And if you're looking for a set NY TS F3's I have an extra set I'd sell. 

Mike

pine tree junction posted:

I have a Neil Young PRR F3 Legacy diesel I might want to sell. It's brand new, never used. I'm having too much fun with LionChief that I might not have a need for it. Contact me at mdanielczyk@comcast.net for more details.

 

 

 

Email sent

 Unless you are getting the F7s for a great price ($400 to $450 max) for a ABA set I would wait till Lionel introduces a Legacy F unit that is scale. I'd stay away from the NY Fs as they are not scale. They are nice looking but I am a scale guy. Plus the Pennsylvania  used F units for freight never pulled passenger trains with Fs, for that you will need E units. Be patient I'm sure Lionel will be doing PRR scale Legacy Fs soon.

JohnB

Also note on the Scale F7 units, there were some eronious Details such as nose lifting lugs on the REAR of each F unit and yellow led's instead of red for the markers. The Paint color was too green. I hope the Legacy F units will correct these issues. MTH F7 units[ if you can find them] were more spot on than the Lionel version- hence the scarcity of them.

The primary difference between the postwar type F3's and the full-scale Lionel F units is the front windows - the postwar has 'squinty' windows while the scale ones have correct sized windshield glass and are slightly taller. Some have said that Lionel's scale F units are very good models overall. It's difficult for any manufacturer to get accurate colors for something that was made back in the 1940s!

For the scale guys another option is the beautiful K-Line F3's & F7's produced around 2002-2005. We have the PRR F3's in Brunswick Green that are excellent. The B unit smokes as well.

Sam

K-line made some awesome products. Details that were very rarely matched at the same price point. It's sad they're gone. Imagine if Lionel kept it going and progressed to Legacy and kept the same level of detail and pricing. 

I worked in a train shop that sold K-line as part of their product and we couldn't get the semi-scale and scale Hudsons fast enough. 

Mike