Show Your F3s, F7s and similar diesels

Arnold,

An excellent and much needed topic in my opinion.

Here is an F3 in a somewhat rare livery. MTH Premier model (20-21458-1) of Maine Central F3 #686.

MELGAR

A late 1940's Lionel Santa Fe F3.

MTH Proto-2 B&O F3

My grandfather's postwar F3 restored by Len Carparelli.

Here's a few...

Somewhere in Kansas City, 1966+-

@MELGAR posted:

Arnold,

An excellent and much needed topic in my opinion.

Here is an F3 in a somewhat rare livery. MTH Premier model (20-21458-1) of Maine Central F3 #686.

MELGAR

IMO, that Maine Central MTH PS3 F3 is the most attractive one ever made, although as I take another look at the others posted above, there are a lot of close seconds.

My all-time favorite:

Jim

Some MTH….

Tom

I do not have any photos of my Atlas/Roco O scale Fs, but here is my early HO pre-Athearn GLOBE F7 A&B:

And my HO FT A&B:

Here's a few from the beleaguered Kansas City & Gulf. The poor road has undergone a bankruptcy and is currently in the process of attempting a reorganization.

The first F unit the KC&G purchased (new) way back in January of 1947. At the time it glistened like a new penny in the sunlight, fresh from EMD. However, some 17 years later, still gamely wearing its faded and eroding original paint, we see a very tired #300 (an early phase F3) at the KC&G's "Riverfront Yard" in KC MO:

Next up is another F3 #311, this one a later phase and is also wearing an original paint scheme. The paint on #311 has fared better than the paint on #300. (Maybe the paint was touched up or was repainted in the mid 1950s before the money ran out?) Here it is at the little Ozark mountain town of "Piney". Piney sits atop the summit of the worst climb on the KC&G system: Buck Mountain and it's nigh 3% grade. Helpers are not uncommon on northbound trains on Buck Mountain Grade.

And for contrast, here's 2nd #323. The original #323 was essentially totaled in a pileup coming off Buck Mountain a few years ago. (Thankfully there were no serious injuries to the head end crewmen, but I'm sure a change of underwear was in order.) The KC&G didn't have the $$ to outright replace it with one of the latest offerings of EMD. So, onto a flat car it went and off to EMD for rebuilding if possible. Unfortunately, after it arrived at EMD, EMD informed them that it was too far gone to rebuild. However, EMD told the KC&G they did have an F7 on hand they'd received from a RR as a trade-in from another RR. (It too, had been involved in a wreck, but instead of the RR rebuilding it, they traded in on newer power.) That F7 was almost done being rebuilt for resale. EMD offered it to the KC&G at a very reasonable price point they could handle, so the KC&G purchased it. EMD painted it in the newer "cost saving" paint scheme. In this pic, 2nd #323 also sits in the KC&G's Riverfront Yard in KC MO along with a consist that comprises a GP7 that's wearing a very rare (for a hood unit) "Simplified" scheme, and trailing is an FA1m (re-powered with EMD) wearing yet another simplified scheme:

SO, not only some pics... but I shared the yarns that go with the units therein!

Andre

Here are F units from the Free State Junction Railway's F unit fleet from Reading, B&O, and Santa Fe.

Reading F7 with K line body and MTH Proto 3. The horn sounds terrific!!  Note the rear view mirrors.  K line sure had great detail in their upscale locomotives!  

K line F3.  An early K line model that has great detail, however it runs like a jackrabbit .. lol!  This locomotive came paired with a powered B unit which is shown in photos below this one.  The horn on this unit sounds like a doorbell buzzer and in no way even remotely sounds like a locomotive horn.  I run this engine on fast passenger and express mail trains only ... lol!   Someday I hope to have it upgraded.  

K line F3 A with powered B unit.

Here is a Williams by Bachman B&O F unit.  These units were sold in AA pairs.   Williams reproduced the Lionel version ( made in the late 50's early 60's ? ) of these F units and pretty much matched Lionel's paint ... which was not at all an authentic match of B&O colors.   Of the Williams and K line F units K line wins in coming closest to the prototypical B&O color matching IMHO.  

I've wanted the iconic Santa Fe F unit for many years.   As my desire for this unit was at its' peak a Santa Fe F unit crossed my path at a deal I could not refuse.   This is a MTH unit with Proto 3.  It looks and sounds terrific!

Well great thread idea Arnold thanks for initiating this one...one question ... does "similar diesels" make Alco's eligible???

Lionel F3 #2344 NYC 1950-1952 and F3 # 2340 Wabash 1956

Marx tin lithographed F3's. #6000 SP from1952-1954 and # 62 B&O 1953-1954,1958 and 1967

Marx E7's # 52 UP from 1960 and # 2002 NH from 1960-1974

Best Wishes everyone

Don

Over the years, I've operated several F3s and F7s, all have been Union Pacific and Santa Fe. With Santa Fe, I began with Lionel's Santa Fe warbonnet cab #17, then progressively traded up to each succeeding one, including cab #s 18, 19, and finally #332, the TMCC F7 ABBA I have now.

With Union Pacific, it was only one set of F3s, then to the new Legacy F7 ABBA I have now.  

Both are excellent runners and perform flawlessly.

@Don McErlean posted:

Well great thread idea Arnold thanks for initiating this one...one question ... does "similar diesels" make Alco's eligible???

I kind of wondered that, too.

At this point I only have an FA1m painted and in service... but I refrained from posting a pic of it featuring it as the main subject, however it does appear at the end of an MU consist in one of the pics.

SO... didn't know if it was just EMD's 4-axle car body F offerings, or if other mfg'ers, too. (Alco, Baldwin, FM, etc.)

Andre

A few of mine.  So many F units, so little time!

Yes, it's a F unit!  Not what most consider a traditional one, but it still counts in my mind.  I always say the F40PH is my generations F units.

A little more traditional, but still a variation in the EMD FL9

Yet another variation on the traditional F7 in a slightly longer and steam generator equipped FP7.

How did this get in here again?  Another look at my F40PH a few more years into service.  It's starting to show its age.

Ignore the E units in this photo, here is a set of ABBA FTs, a few FL9s of various flavors, and a couple of FP7s hiding.

Again with the F40PH?  When is this poster going to stop?  Note the FL9 is first on the ready track for service.

Front view of FL9s.

K-Line F3B that sometimes sees service on my combined El Capitan / Super Chief.

What?  More F40PHs?  This one is a K-line custom painted for VIA.

PRR F3s  Phase II late to be specific. 

Nod to Front end Friday in an as-delivered ATSF FT.

FL9s even look good in PC black.

A closer view of the FL9 as delivered to the New Haven.

Overland HO FTs.

Varney 1947 cast HO F3 that I custom painted for my uncle back around 1996.

Here’s a few of my F’s

Top 2 pix, Atlas  Last pic, 3rd Rail

Cheers😉

Some PW Lionel and a Williams Wabash

Forgot about my “similar diesels” from years ago. Before I switched to command control, I had this Williams ABA set of ALCO Fs. And although the Santa Fe never operated them (only ALCO Ps for passenger service), I really liked these as they were bullet proof and very dependable. Wish I still had them.

If we are also considering PAs here are a few examples.

Hobbytown of Boston PA that needs a run through the paint shop.  I have another one I painted in PRR Tuscan that I really need to get some photos of.  These are wonderful locomotives for their era.  I've got a few other HO ones floating around too somewhere.

My Sunset PAs in PRR and ATSF

Finally an older video of my Williams PAs pulling a freight train.

This model of New Haven Railroad FL9 #2043 was made by Sunset/3rd Rail in 2013. It is the only correct O gauge model of a New Haven FL9 with its unique B-A1A wheel arrangement. The New Haven owned 60 FL9s. Due to the three-axle rear truck, they were the longest of any EMD F-series diesel locomotive.

Although the New Haven Railroad never owned any F3 locomotives, MTH and, I believe, Lionel made models of F3 diesel locomotives with B-B wheel arrangement in the New Haven's McGinnis livery, but they do not have the correct three-axle trailing truck of the FL9.

Scott Mann and Sunset/3rd Rail deserve recognition for having made this model.

MELGAR

@GG1 4877 posted:

PRR F3s  Phase II late to be specific.

So Jonathan, you run some of your F units outside in the yard? How does that work out for you? Hopefully, you take them inside during the winter months.

A few of mine .....

@MELGAR posted:

This model of New Haven Railroad FL9 #2043 was made by Sunset/3rd Rail in 2013. It is the only correct O gauge model of a New Haven FL9 with its unique B-A1A wheel arrangement. The New Haven owned 60 FL9s. Due to the three-axle rear truck, they were the longest of any EMD F-series diesel locomotive.

Although the New Haven Railroad never owned any F3 locomotives, MTH and, I believe, Lionel made models of F3 diesel locomotives with B-B wheel arrangement in the New Haven's McGinnis livery, but they do not have the correct three-axle trailing truck of the FL9.

Scott Mann and Sunset/3rd Rail deserve recognition for having made this model.

MELGAR

This was the 3rd project assisted Sunset on.  Even though there were only 60 FL9s made, there were two phases of FL9 production.  The first 30 were delivered in 1957.  The Sunset locomotive represents the phase II FL9 delivered in 1960.  There are not a lot of external differences, but one distinguishing factor is the NH orange paint is different between phases.  When I was a York show in 2012 a gentleman with the New Haven historical society handed me a sample of the actual color found on Phase II FL9s and that ended up being color matched. 

This is the painting diagram prepared for that project.

Pre-production photos of all the paint schemes this locomotive was offered in.  Since these are over 10 years old, I think it's safe to share them now!

Vern,

I live in the deserts of Arizona.  If I took my trains outside during the summer they would promptly melt including the brass ones!   It is the winter months where I could actually enjoy them outside.

However, sadly I am without a layout these days, so I use my lawn as a backdrop to photography on at times.  That will be rectified in my next home.

@TrainBub posted:

Here’s a few of my F’s

Top 2 pix, Atlas  Last pic, 3rd Rail

Cheers😉

I wish I had picked one of these up when they were offered.  A great paint scheme.

@GG1 4877 posted:

I wish I had picked one of these up when they were offered.  A great paint scheme.

I committed to this NDM model when Scott (GGD) offered the MP T&P Texas Eagle. It will head up my modest,  nascent Aztec Eagle continuation of the Texas Eagle that went from Laredo to Mexico City. A first passenger car will be the soon arriving - offered as a Texas Eagle “extra” - NDM    10-6. I hope a GGD NDM 10-5 will follow as well as some NDM heavyweights. Sometimes we have to be happy building our own consists one car at a time. 😜
Cheers 😉

Favorites because I waited so long to get the custom painted Lionel F3s done.  Ex-CP with TMCC, powered A and B, sound in second A. Pulling ore as they did in the '50s.

@GG1 4877 posted:

Vern,

I live in the deserts of Arizona.  If I took my trains outside during the summer they would promptly melt including the brass ones!   It is the winter months where I could actually enjoy them outside.

However, sadly I am without a layout these days, so I use my lawn as a backdrop to photography on at times.  That will be rectified in my next home.

I sort of knew you were just using your outside yard as a backdrop. I feel sorry for you though, living in Arizona. Too darned hot for me. 🔥

@cnwdon posted:

Favorites because I waited so long to get the custom painted Lionel F3s done.  Ex-CP with TMCC, powered A and B, sound in second A. Pulling ore as they did in the '50s.

Well darn. I'm not seeing your picture.

Wonder what's going wrong?

Andre

OK Arnold, we need some rules or a ruling from you as host...so far we have had mostly EMD F units but we have also had Alco PA's. F40PH, and a BL2.  At this rate, maybe I can include my Amtrak F59PH !!  So do we open the thread up to "other" type cab units??

Great Fun Arnold, thanks for taking on this idea!!

Don

A new frills but economical and otherwise very good choice IMO are these Williams Penn Central F3s shown in the short video below:

The silver plated passenger cars are also by Williams, have plenty of heft, and the F3s pull them down the line with ease.  These Williams models  have large motors that contribute to their superior pulling power.  Arnold

WBB Penn Central F3 ABBA.  I repainted the B units.  All units received light weathering.  Converted to ERR TMCC.

I remember seeing PC covered wagons as a kid.  Didn't appreciate them back then.  Wish I had paid more attention before they were retired.

Tom

CB&Q F3s leading a 1948 Exposition Flyer…models by Atlas, PSC and 3rd Rail.

After seeing seeing earlier posted pictures, I hope you will enjoy seeing a few from my collection.
First up, and on the wall, my first set bought for me by my parents, and the start of my obsession, Lionel 2353 with the added on B unit.

Then on the layout, some early MTH engines, PAs, FP45s, F3s and an E8. Think of the E8 as a stretched F unit.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I will start us off with this short video of a NY Ontario and Western hauling a freight train through My Little Town:

Your NYO&W F3 set is beautiful!  That Boston & Albany Caboose bringing up the rear is really nice too.  Thank you for sharing!

First up is MTH Premier C & O F7s. Second is Rail King B & O F3s. Followed by Rail King WM F3s.

Charlie

We’ll, since you asked…

An Atlas F9 to add to the thread:

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

Your NYO&W F3 set is beautiful!  That Boston & Albany Caboose bringing up the rear is really nice too.  Thank you for sharing!

Thank you, JR Junction Hobby, for making those beautiful trains happen for me.