The ones in the blue and orange scheme. Did they pull mostly passenger and if so what cars? freight?
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They were used for freight. CNJ had double cab Baldwins, RS3's, and GP7's for commuter trains. Lionel screwed up on the F3's adding the steam generator parts on the roofs in the rear. Go figure, since Lionel has a long history of screwing up paint, herald, and detail info on just about everything I can think of that they ever made painted CNJ.
They used FM's in passenger service too!
Jon 
Originally Posted by KOOLjock1:
They used FM's in passenger service too!
Jon
Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, those trainmasters look awesome.
Sam is correct. The F3's pulled freight, freight and more freight on the CNJ. In fact, these diesels used in MU consists gave the CNJ the ability to pull complete, loaded anthracite coal trains eastbound out of Ashley, PA using the "back track" to reach the top of Ponobscot mountain.
This was a first, as the grades were steep on the back-track. It was typically only used for westbound freight, empty coal trains and passenger trains.
Prior to the F3's arrival, the CNJ had to pull small strings of loaded coal cars up the Ashley Planes to reach Penobscot. Steam engines were then attached to take the trains down to Allentown, PA and ultimately to the NJ coast. Obviously eliminating the Planes saved the CNJ much time (and $$)!!
There's a terrific segment about this exact subject in the CNJ publicity video "Big Little Railroad".
This was a first, as the grades were steep on the back-track. It was typically only used for westbound freight, empty coal trains and passenger trains.
Prior to the F3's arrival, the CNJ had to pull small strings of loaded coal cars up the Ashley Planes to reach Penobscot. Steam engines were then attached to take the trains down to Allentown, PA and ultimately to the NJ coast. Obviously eliminating the Planes saved the CNJ much time (and $$)!!
There's a terrific segment about this exact subject in the CNJ publicity video "Big Little Railroad".
While the CNJ F3 diesels were purchased for freight service, it is not without possibility that an F3 set could have powered a protytypical/real CNJ passenger consist...probable but HIGHLY unlikely. Have never come across a photo of one in true CNJ service. (CNJ F3 at Steamtown or SRRNJ or Jim Thorpe. PA doesn't count.) But almost anything is possible on the railroad.
But I did have a treat when the ARHS operated a 'CNJ' F3 powered passenger train in Jim Thorpe, PA in the mid-1980's...rode in the F3 cab! A $500 donation to ARHS helped pay for the orange/tangerine and blue paint...money well spent.
As a related comment...CNJ #1000 - the boxcab freight diesel- did actually power a CNJ passenger train between Jersey City and Elizabethport NJ on a special pre-retirement run before leaving for the B&O museum in 1957.
Walter M. Matuch
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As an aside the CNJ F3s were assigned to the subsidiary Central Railroad of Pennsylvania and noted on the fuel tank skirt with a "CRP" stencil. When the CNJ ceased Pennsylvania operations in 1972, the F3s were off the roster.
The EMD builder's rendering did show this locomotive with a set of matching orange and blue streamlined cars, but the CNJ only received it's first streamlined cars second hand in the late 1960's that were purchased by the state of NJ to replace the aging steel car fleet.
EMD actually did 2 renderings of the CNJ/CRP F3s...one was passenger like you mentioned and the other was a freight train version.
Each of the five A-B-A CNJ F3 sets (and also the Baldwin A-B-A cab sets) was dedicated to deceased WWII CNJ employees killed during WWII. A brass remembrance plaque was affixed to each even numbered A unit on the fireman's side to the rear of cab steps. Family members were present at each dedication ceremony location. Sadly, none of the plaques, as far as I can confirm, were ever saved when diesels were retired.
Walter M. Matuch
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I had a set of Williams F3s for about 5 years and was looking for a set of passenger cars to go with it, was hoping for the semi-scale aluminum cars. Now I know why I never found them. This Christmas it will be pulling freight and I can say it’s prototypical.
The Lionel postwar trainmaster never existed in real life. The Jersey Central DID paint, besides a set of F3s in that paint scheme, some of their Baldwin babyfaces, both double cab and regular engines. There was at least one trainmaster in blue and orange but it looked like a Lionel 8687 but the stripes and writing was orange and the base body was blue. They had blue engines with yellow writing and stripes as well as green and yellow. They coud have had a NW-2 that looked like a Lionel 621.
They should have done Madison cars with the 2341 instead of streamline cars.
CNJ had a few F-M 1500hp roadswitchers in blue with orange/tangerine stripes. I think also #1500 as a two-tone green one in F-M demo colors relettered JERSEY CENTRAL LINES along the frame before fully repainted into blue/orange as shown at Cranford. NJ in the 1950's.
Walter M. Matuch
PHOTO: Unknown photographer. Walter M. Matuch Collection
The CNJ engines in full blue with yellow frame stripe and lettering and CRR-NJ Liberty herald were repaints during the late 1960's era before the Coast Guard red/white versions were adopted in the 1970's. CNJ original 2400hp Trainmaster diesels did not get this paint scheme as they were gone by this time but most every other original and still on roster CNJ diesel - road switchers and switchers got this paint scheme along with a few ex-B&O F7s - ex-B&O Baldwin switchers and ex-B&O F-M switchers (paint scheme not offered by anyone in O gauge except 2 RS3s by Atlas) and the 10 purchased ex-B&O SD40s offered by Lionel and Atlas in O gauge.
CNJ #1530 at Phillipsburg, NJ. Photographer UNKNOWN in Walter M. Matuch Collection
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If I remember correctly, JC never used steam to heat their passenger cars, they used electricity, that’s why their passenger steamers had dynamos on their tender decks. That being said, JC would not need to purchase their F3s with steam generators. Now could a freight F3 provide traction motor power and power passenger cars simultaneously without additional capacity, is a good question.
@Trainmstr posted:If I remember correctly, JC never used steam to heat their passenger cars, they used electricity, that’s why their passenger steamers had dynamos on their tender decks.
Not quite. This large steam driven generators, "Dynamos" on the steam locomotive tender decks were for car lighting, i.e. NOT electric heat. The cars did indeed have steam train lined heating.
That being said, JC would not need to purchase their F3s with steam generators. Now could a freight F3 provide traction motor power and power passenger cars simultaneously without additional capacity, is a good question.
No, they could not.
@Mike Santa posted:The Lionel postwar trainmaster never existed in real life. The Jersey Central DID paint, besides a set of F3s in that paint scheme, some of their Baldwin babyfaces, both double cab and regular engines. There was at least one trainmaster in blue and orange but it looked like a Lionel 8687 but the stripes and writing was orange and the base body was blue. They had blue engines with yellow writing and stripes as well as green and yellow. They coud have had a NW-2 that looked like a Lionel 621.
CNJ NEVER had a blue and orange Trainmaster. They last used the Tangerine & Blue paint in 1949 (FM H15-44), and the Trainmasters didn't show up until 1954.
And...the CNJ orange + blue was resurrected in the early 1980's when ARHS painted an A-B-A set in that scheme. Those A's were former BAR painted by ARHS Society and I think the B unit (not shown) was ex B&M.
The orange + blue was reborne again when NS painted a series of Heritage Diesels in the early 2000's. CNJ #1071 was one of these Heritage diesels.
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