mpc era b&o f3 aa 8363/8364

[pete01]

hello - does anyone have knowledge/opinion of and about the construction/desirability of this f3 set?

[1688torpedo]

Hello Pete!

The B & O  F-3 you're interested in was made in 1973 & was the first one made in the Modern Era. It has one Motor in the "A" Unit & no Magne-Traction or Horn. It has Traction Tires & should be a halfway decent puller. It is a desirable unit now as Trains from the 70s & 80s are generating more interest now. If no Horn or Magne -Traction are important to you & the price is right.then go ahead & buy the set. This Train was also known as a Service Station Special & is #3 from the 70s. The story behind the Service Station Special was that Lionel Train Shops wanted a product line only they could sell & service & this was the result. Lionel had the Service Station Specials from 1972-1979 & again from 1986-1996. Hope this helps out. Take Care.

[ADCX Rob]

I just had mine out & running last week.  I ran it so much in the 70's that the traction tires were worn(I had to cement them on years ago - they kept slipping off), so I just now got around to replacing them.  I cleaned, greased & oiled them too.

They are bare-bones, for sure...  one motor and an E-unit,  & no horn, but they are otherwise built like it's 1955 still(once you get past the "no MagneTraction issue).  Mine runs & pulls great, probably better than any 2243.

Rob 

[mdainsd]

Ive collected F3s for a long time including the MPC era. What I have found is that the single motor traction tire versions just dont have a lot of pull. By the time you lash up an A-B-A with a single motor power unit, there isnt much left for the train.

 There are a few road names that are collectable, ususally road names that were not offered in postwar years, the Pennys come to mind.

 

IMHO single motor MPC F3s represent the bottom of the F3 barrel. That comes with a silver lining though, as they are very affordable. 

[pete01]

Thanks for the info. This is interesting - I didn't know traction tires were used that long ago by Lionel - in fact I thought I used to read criticism of magnetraction compared to traction tires back in the 90s when MTH and others were coming on strong, and here Lionel had used them before any of them?

Is it still a Pullmor motor? And as a Service Station Special does that mean it came with a set of cars? I think I did see a B unit was made.

Sounds like what I want, though. A B&O scheme in a simple F3, especially if the graphics had already gotten good by then (Fundimensions?).

Thanks again. This Forum is great.   

[ADCX Rob]

Thanks for the info. This is interesting - I didn't know traction tires were used that long ago by Lionel - in fact I thought I used to read criticism of magnetraction compared to traction tires back in the 90s when MTH and others were coming on strong, and here Lionel had used them before any of them?

Is it still a Pullmor motor?

It is... the regular Postwar style open frame AC motor.  The traction tires were a disappointment at the time, but were the norm for MPC/General Mills production until the 2046 was reissued as the 8600 in 1976, and MagneTraction was gradually introduced into more of the line.

And as a Service Station Special does that mean it came with a set of cars? I think I did see a B unit was made.

The B&O F-3 was a regular cataloged item.  The powered, the dummy "A", & the 8468 "B" were all seperate sale items.  The engine pulls very well with one of the trailing dummies and a long string of 1973 era cars, the A-B-A with cars starts to strain it some.

Sounds like what I want, though. A B&O scheme in a simple F3, especially if the graphics had already gotten good by then (Fundimensions?).

Thanks again. This Forum is great.  

Rob 

[sir james I]

The early MPC F3s were nicely done,paint wise. At the time a lot of  post war was around and I would buy single motor F units usually old beat up SFs and redo the frames so then I had two motor MPCs. Then they could also be run as single units. The Pennsys were two motored units though.

[Kooljock1]

"I didn't know traction tires were used that long ago by Lionel - in fact I thought I used to read criticism of magnetraction compared to traction tires back in the 90s when MTH and others were coming on strong, and here Lionel had used them before any of them?"

 

Even some lower-end late Post War engines had traction tires.  I find that today's combination of high-quality synthetic rubber compounds in combination with cruise-control just can't be beat for pulling power and stability.  Probably the high water mark for a Traction Tire was K-Line's late production that actually had a tread on it!

 

Jon

[ADCX Rob]

Kooljock1

...and here Lionel had used them before any of them?"

1962, beat to the market only by American Flyer in the 1950s.