F3s For Fridays

@breezinup posted:

The train display shelves over your friend's layout, with the rock formation background, is one of the coolest display motifs I've ever seen.

He used brown paper bags and painted them.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Now, I will share my beloved elongated F 3, specifically, my MTH PS3 Illinois Central E 6 including it’s A-B-A units with 4 motors hauling 6 custom painted MTH Illinois Central passenger cars. This set of trains is shown in the video below, shot by me, running on the beautiful layout of a friend of mine:

These trains are very special to me, not only because of its, IMO, unsurpassed smoke, sounds, operation and especially its beauty, but because the Illinois Central passenger train, the City of New Orleans, is the subject of, IMO, the best train song of all time, entitled City of New Orleans, written by Steve Goodman. It’s a thrill for me to perform this song with my wife at Open Mics and train shows. I’m hoping to do that again at Trainstock, which takes place at the New Jersey HiRailers in January, while this MTH City of New Orleans passenger train is running on their magnificent layout.

Arnold

That’s a beautiful consist, Arnold. Whoever did the custom paint job on the passenger cars did an amazing job.

@Apples55 posted:

That’s a beautiful consist, Arnold. Whoever did the custom paint job on the passenger cars did an amazing job.

Thanks Paul. Unfortunately, I cannot run that consist on my layout because my curves aren’t wide enough but plan to run it and make a video of it at the NJ HiRailers that has a gorgeous and enormous layout with wide radius curves. I’m an associate member there. Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Thanks Paul. Unfortunately, I cannot run that consist on my layout because my curves aren’t wide enough but plan to run it and make a video of it at the NJ HiRailers that has a gorgeous and enormous layout with wide radius curves. I’m an associate member there. Arnold

I look forward to that video, Arnold. The HiRailers definitely have a fabulous layout (have to make it back down there this year). And don’t forget their incredibly long straights - I bet they will really show off your “City of New Orleans”!!!

@Apples55 posted:

I look forward to that video, Arnold. The HiRailers definitely have a fabulous layout (have to make it back down there this year). And don’t forget their incredibly long straights - I bet they will really show off your “City of New Orleans”!!!

Paul, I will definitely be at Trainstock at NJ HiRailers in January. I hope to see you there. Arnold

Arnold, that will be great when you get to run it there.  I have never been to the NJ HiRailers; only seen photographs and video.  Actually, I have never been to NJ period.  Ben has invited me, and I would like to.

Well its not Friday, but I had some time today (Monday) and thought I might contribute these F-3's...A Marx 6000 set ,  Southern Pacific F-3 AA from 1952-1954.  These babies are 72 years old, but they run great.  Marx motors just never die!

Best Wishes, Don

Some late F3s from my stable…

Tom

Have always been a fan of the AT&SF and have owned more than a few of the their Warbonnet diesels since I was a kid. Was not aware that the prototype had the beautiful stainless panels until just a few years ago. Didn't know of any O scale plated units at the time when several years ago I came across these MTH beauties at a train show in HO.  Now why couldn't Lionel have produced any like this?

Williams Wabash F3.  Manufactured on January 16, 2004 according to the quality control card that was inserted into the box by Sanda Kan.  It needs a little TLC because of a split truck gear for which I've purchased some replacement parts.  A MTH Wabash P1 Hudson is on the track in the background.  Note that the Wabash RR never actually owned F3s.  They had a lot of F7s, but no F3s.

Hard to beat the Williams F3's is it?  Hard to beat any Williams diesels for that matter!  Lol

Was finally able to come across a set of MTH Premiere (thanks again Don) F units and scooped them up. Had sold some of the earlier Lionel scale F3s a year or so ago and had an empty spot on my wall.  These are truly spectacular IMHO

They just keep coming!

New acquisition 3Rd Rail E6

Lionel Legacy E8

The sharp-eyed viewer will note that the 3Rd Rail E6 sits slightly lower than the Lionel E6 it's mated with. The B unit on lower shelf is a Premiere MTH E6 unit. The height difference is clearly evident in how high Lionel's model sits on the trucks. We call it the 'High Water' look - typical with the great majority of Lionel's diesels. That's so Lionel's customers who run on 48" Fastrak can buy their otherwise excellent scale diesels and steam locomotives!  The rest of us ofttimes have to go through complex modifications to the chassis and or trucks to get the chassis to ride at a proper height from the rails.  :-(

Good morning and welcome to F3s for Fridays, the place to share your passion for F3s and similar diesels. Here you can post photos and videos of these magnificent locomotives, provided that you have taken the photos and videos or obtained the written permission of the owner to post them here.

I will start us off with the videos below showing powerful Williams Penn Central F3s hauling NY Central Williams aluminum passenger cars down the line and around my Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium:

Now, it’s your turn to show us your F3 and similar diesels this fine Friday.

Arnold

Legacy Conrail F7, a photo from Spring 2021......pulling some military cars....

Peter

Good morning fans of “covered wagons” and “car bodies” (there are a lot of us!).  Arnold, I’m taking your reference to “similar diesels” as openness to locomotives of this type from any manufacturer, but I’m sticking with EMD for today.

My Boston and Maine E8 no. 3821 is an MTH Railking model equipped with PS3.  It came with a dummy A unit numbered 3822, but 3821 was the only E8 owned by B&M.  No. 3821 is shown hauling a train of heavyweight passenger cars, the “Minuteman”, from Portland, ME to Boston.

john

Today I’ll post a photograph of my F3 B&O repaint.  This MTH set started out with Great Northern livery, but after some shell damage, I decided the solid dark blue B&O scheme I saw on the tracks near my home would be the way to go.

Here are two of my F3s.   The Reading is actually a K line shell with MTH PS3 electronics.  K line sure knew how to detail this locomotive!  On the adjacent track is my WbB B&O F3 ... I bought this AA set from TrainWorld about 8 or 10 years ago.  This locomotive has proved to be hassle free and a great puller/runner.  

My Canadian Pacific 2373 A-B-A.  Repainted A units and a Lionel LLC B unit.

My F-series diesel for this Friday is New Haven Railroad EMD FL9 #2043. The model was made by Sunset/3^rdRail in 2013 and is the only O gauge model of an FL9 that has been built to date.

The New Haven Railroad was the only buyer of new FL9s from the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. The design was developed specifically for the New Haven because it needed a dual-mode diesel-electric locomotive that could operate throughout the system and also into Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on 600-Volt Direct Current from an electrified third-rail. The FL9 was the longest F-series locomotive. It carried a steam generator for passenger service and rode on a 3-axle rear A1A truck due to axle-load limitations on the Park Avenue Viaduct. The middle axle was unpowered and served to distribute the weight onto three axles instead of two.

Thirty FL9s entered service on the New Haven Railroad in 1956 and another thirty were delivered in 1960. All sixty had a Hancock air whistle mounted on the upper part of the windshield whose melodic sound is reproduced by the model.

During the Metro-North era, FL9s in the McGinnis red-black-white livery hauled commuter cars like those behind my model as pictured on my 12’-by-8’ layout.

MELGAR

For this Friday, an MTH UP F3 and a Williams WP F3 in scenic Pinnacle Peaks State Park on the old layout:

Jim

MELGAR, let's hear that Hancock air whistle!

John

Here is a MTH railking chessie system  F3's engine!!!

Here is the Marx example of the B&O F-3

Marx #61 B&O AA unit, they never made a B in this series of locomotives

Here is a picture of the original Marx train set as it was offered.  Note the cars and the somewhat rare caboose.

Best Wishes, Don

An MTH, Rail King, B&O, A-B-A, F-3 Diesel has been cleared by the Great Northeastern Railway's engine service crew and is leaving for its day's work heading the Capital Limited.

Some F units, Reading from Lionel and Baltimore and Ohio from MTH…

Tom

@Steam Crazy posted:

MELGAR, let's hear that Hancock air whistle!

John

@Steam Crazy,

John,

Here's the Hancock Air Whistle on New Haven #2043.

Hancock was in the business of making steam whistles. As railroads dieselized, the air whistle became their new product. It had three tones (E, A and C-sharp) and sounded better than standard single-tone diesel horns. The New Haven Railroad was the largest user of these whistles and every New Haven FL9 was equipped with a Hancock 4700. I don't have a video of an F3 horn but will post one later for comparison.

Also notice how slowly this Sunset model of #2043 was moving in the video. A very smooth-running model under conventional control.

MELGAR

Music to my ears, Mel!  Thanks!

John

An F3’s later sibling, an F7…

Good morning and welcome back to F3s for Fridays, the place to post photos, videos and comments about F3 diesels, including F3 look a likes, especially those that look like elongated F3s.

Before we resume posting photos and videos, please remember to fully comply with the Forum terms of service including posting only photos and videos you have taken or those in which you’ve received the written permission of the owner to post here.

One of my favorite diesels that look like elongated F3s is in the video below consisting of MTH PS3 New Haven PAs (or are they FAs, I don’t remember which). Both units have dual motors so they are great pullers with a total of four motors:

I love these diesel units so much that they never leave my layout by remaining on a main line or on one of the sidings.

Make sure you play the above video with the sound on. I’ve been told the these diesels sound like the real prime movers.

So, let’s see what F3s or F3 look a likes you would like to share on this fine Friday.

Arnold

April 2010……in the back yard…..a Lionel TMCC/RS FT……..

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Picked up these Mth F- Units last July

Amtrak #102 was an EMD F7 Phase 1 locomotive. My model was made by Atlas O (30134002) in 2015 at MSRP $499.95 with TMCC and runs on O-36.

This locomotive was Northern Pacific 6509A prior to becoming Amtrak #102 in 1972. Photographs online show it at the head end of Amtrak Train 9, the North Coast Hiawatha, at Three Forks, Montana, heading west to Seattle on July 31, 1973. It was built in November 1949 and retired in October 1975.

MELGAR

Good morning, covered wagon fans!  Arnold, your diesels look like PAs.  PAs are longer than FAs, but the easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at the trucks.  PAs (passenger) have six wheel trucks, FAs (freight) have four wheel trucks.

I planned on posting my FAs this morning, but I’m in a hotel and the internet is too slow to load videos.  I’ll post them later; in the meantime, I’ll enjoy seeing the F3s and F3 look-a-likes posted by our fellow Forumites!

John

Assorted F units.  The Chicago Great Western and Milwaukee Road units are custom repaints; the Rio Grande and Southern units are restored shells.

A pair of K-line FA's. Powered and dummy.

Bob

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

One of my favorite diesels that look like elongated F3s is in the video below consisting of MTH PS3 New Haven PAs (or are they FAs, I don’t remember which). Both units have dual motors so they are great pullers with a total of four motors:

I love these diesel units so much that they never leave my layout...

Arnold

Arnold,

Your diesels are Alco PAs - passenger locomotives with 3-axle trucks. Alco FAs are freight diesels with 2-axle trucks. The MTH Alco diesel sounds are excellent. The black and red colors on your engines are New Haven's "Alpert" paint scheme that appeared on its Alco PAs in January 1960. Alpert was the New Haven's president after McGinnis (red-black-white paint scheme) left in 1956 and went to the Boston & Maine as its president. Alpert remained as president until the New Haven filed for bankruptcy in July 1961.

MELGAR

K Line C&O F units passing FRANK Tower

Back to F3s for Friday.  Until recently, I had not bought any F3s since what was available from the big importers were wrong for a Penny engine.  The F3s that were available, outside the expensive brass market, had the large number boads but the Pennsy had the smaller bullet number boards on all F3s (even early F7s).  Then 3rd Rail came out with its version of the Pennsy F3 Phase 2 Late with the correct number boards.  So I bought their F3 ABA set in as delivered paint scheme.  Really nice!

As promised in my earlier post, here are my Williams Canadian Pacific Alco FA1 and FB2 at the head of a coal drag.  Like typical Williams engines, these engines are great pullers, hauling the seven heavy, die cast hoppers in this train with ease at ten volts.  Unlike Williams engines, the A unit came with a bad motor.  I returned it to Williams under warranty and received it back within a week with two new motors.

John