I have two 3rd rail New Haven EMD FL9 diesel locomotives number 2052 and 2058 both AC powered. My questions are first is this a matched set and second can they run in tandem without too much difficulty? Thanks for any help you can send my way. Bum.
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They are TMCC equipped so assuming you're running them with TMCC/ Legacy, you can give them individual IDs and run them separately or together no problem.
Will. I would be running them conventionally with a MTH Z4000.
Before I double head steamers or build diesel consists I always run them about a foot apart to make sure they will work together. One going a little faster or responding a bit faster than the other one I have found is not an issue. When there is a noticeable difference I don't run them together. Engines from the same manufacturing lot, like yours, should run together with no problems. If they don't, something is wrong with one of them.
@CAPPilot posted:Before I double head steamers or build diesel consists I always run them about a foot apart to make sure they will work together. One going a little faster or responding a bit faster than the other one I have found is not an issue. When there is a noticeable difference I don't run them together. Engines from the same manufacturing lot, like yours, should run together with no problems. If they don't, something is wrong with one of them.
Great practice to avoid later hardship.
Thank you. Do you know if those two numbers were a set or were they sold separately?
@bum posted:Thank you. Do you know if those two numbers were a set or were they sold separately?
Since Sunset/3rd Rail doesn't really sell "sets" when it comes to locomotives, those would have been separate sell items. Passenger car sets, are however sold by Sunset/3rd Rail/Golden Gate Depot.
Thank you HW.
@Hot Water posted:Since Sunset/3rd Rail doesn't really sell "sets" when it comes to locomotives, those would have been separate sell items. Passenger car sets, are however sold by Sunset/3rd Rail/Golden Gate Depot.
Since he wants to know if he can run them together (unfortunately he committed the sin of not including the item number) your reply doesn't help at all. Aren't ALL Sunset Diesels sold individually? If you want to run an A-A pair or an A-B-B-A set you just purchase the extra diesel units. The same with double headed Sunset Steam.
Nick, if they are from the same production run I'd expect them to run together just fine.
@BobbyD posted:Since he wants to know if he can run them together (unfortunately he committed the sin of not including the item number) your reply doesn't help at all.
That was the original poster's first question. I answered his second question. It's all about reading and comprehension.
Aren't ALL Sunset Diesels sold individually?
Yes, and that's exactly what I told him.
If you want to run an A-A pair or an A-B-B-A set you just purchase the extra diesel units. The same with double headed Sunset Steam.
You are of course referring to conventional operation.
Nick, if they are from the same production run I'd expect them to run together just fine.
The 2052 and 2058 are the numbers on the boxes as well as the locomotive numbers. Where would I find a "item number"? thanks Bum.
@bum posted:I have two 3rd rail New Haven EMD FL9 diesel locomotives number 2052 and 2058 both AC powered. My questions are first is this a matched set and second can they run in tandem without too much difficulty? Thanks for any help you can send my way. Bum.
Nick, You can take Hot Water's information to the bank. You are fortunate to get responses as most people consider 3rd Rail/Sunset items 3-Rail Scale and post questions regarding them in that Forum rather than 3-Rail Traditional Toy Trains. John
I don't recall 3rdRail ever doing two production runs of the FL9. These were done in 2013? Anyone know for sure?
Jan
@Jan posted:I don't recall 3rdRail ever doing two production runs of the FL9. These were done in 2013? Anyone know for sure?
Jan
Sunset only did one FL-9 run.
The New Haven Railroad was the only real life railroad to purchase FL-9s. Sixty were made in two batches. 2052 and 2058 would be from the second batch. The NH only purchased A units. No B units were made in real life and Sunset did not make any B units either.
The NH usually ran FL-9s as back to back A-A units. Sometimes they ran single units. Any combination of NH A units numbers running together would be prototypical.
Some FL-9s were inherited from the NH by Penn Central then Metro North, and then Amtrak. A few FL-9s have been preserved and are operational today. NH Joe
@New Haven Joe posted:Sunset only did one FL-9 run.
The New Haven Railroad was the only real life railroad to purchase FL-9s. Sixty were made in two batches. 2052 and 2058 would be from the second batch. The NH only purchased A units. No B units were made in real life and Sunset did not make any B units either.
The NH usually ran FL-9s as back to back A-A units. Sometimes they ran single units. Any combination of NH A units numbers running together would be prototypical.
Some FL-9s were inherited from the NH by Penn Central then Metro North, and then Amtrak. A few FL-9s have been preserved and are operational today. NH Joe
Specifically, the Sunset FL9s were the "phase II" FL9s which you noted are the second 30. The orange from the phase I units was slightly different than the phase II units and we were lucky enough to get an actual paint sample to match. This was my 3rd project as a consultant to Sunset.
They were done in 2013 and here is a pre-production photo showing all the paint schemes that were done. The schemes that were not done include the MTA/Penn Central and later MTA/Conrail blue and yellow and the ones owned by RJ Corman. At least those were the known owners of FL9s when the project was done. I know the Maine Central ones were replaced with former Amtrak F40PHs and then as I recall the passenger operations were halted.
I have two 3 rail units in Amtrak, 1 3 rail unit in PC, and 2 2 rail units in New Haven of which one is non-powered.
As for double heading the units in conventional they have to be run "elephant" style as opposed to back to back which is more traditional for F units. The only "sets" that Sunset produced for diesels were the FTs where there was a master A unit and a slave B unit.
@Hot Water posted:That was the original poster's first question. I answered his second question. It's all about reading and comprehension.
@Hot Water posted:You are of course referring to conventional operation.
Not at all, I was referring to command control operation. If he wanted to run 3 A units just purchase 2 more, that's the joy of command control operation. And why Lionels use of "Lash-Ups" causes some folks indigestion.
@GG1 4877 posted:Specifically, the Sunset FL9s were the "phase II" FL9s which you noted are the second 30. The orange from the phase I units was slightly different than the phase II units and we were lucky enough to get an actual paint sample to match. This was my 3rd project as a consultant to Sunset.
They were done in 2013 and here is a pre-production photo showing all the paint schemes that were done. The schemes that were not done include the MTA/Penn Central and later MTA/Conrail blue and yellow and the ones owned by RJ Corman. At least those were the known owners of FL9s when the project was done. I know the Maine Central ones were replaced with former Amtrak F40PHs and then as I recall the passenger operations were halted.
I have two 3 rail units in Amtrak, 1 3 rail unit in PC, and 2 2 rail units in New Haven of which one is non-powered.
As for double heading the units in conventional they have to be run "elephant" style as opposed to back to back which is more traditional for F units. The only "sets" that Sunset produced for diesels were the FTs where there was a master A unit and a slave B unit.
Wouldn't the early run of E7s also be considered sets since the B units were tethered to the A units?
@ecd15 posted:Wouldn't the early run of E7s also be considered sets since the B units were tethered to the A units?
Correct me if I am wrong, but as I recall only the 2 rail B units were tethered to the A units. I recall the 3 rail B units being unpowered. I'll have to look at the original engineering drawings because that was 10 years ago.
@GG1 4877 posted:Correct me if I am wrong, but as I recall only the 2 rail B units were tethered to the A units. I recall the 3 rail B units being unpowered. I'll have to look at the original engineering drawings because that was 10 years ago.
You may be correct. I only purchase 2rail models so I am unfamiliar with the 3 rail configurations.
@ecd15 posted:You may be correct. I only purchase 2rail models so I am unfamiliar with the 3 rail configurations.
Five of my six E7s are 2 rail, but I never bought any B units. Taking a look at the original engineering drawings, the builder did not include the mechanical components of the models at the time, just the exterior views for painting diagrams. I guess this will remain a mystery until someone who has a 3 rail model can jump in on the E7.
Wow, lots of great information here. Especially grateful for noting not to run them back to back. I have only run them individually so no harm done. These do not have the instructions with them, just the boxes and inserts but Scott did send them to me and once I found where the switch to conventional was all worked well. I prefer steam over diesel but these were in a small collection of steam locomotives that I purchased and I had to buy everything in order to get the steam so I'll probably be selling these two off. Thanks again to all that replied. Bum.
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