diesel locomotive type FA

[Anonymous]

Please,can you help me to find documents or blueprints about this engine.
Actually,I build a model of this loco but here in Europe it's very difficult to find
accurate documentation about foreign locomotives.

[7j43k]

Are you asking about the FA1 or the FA2? They are similar but different. Are you planning to scratch-build your model or are you planning on detailing an existing model? Are you planning on detailing to copy a particular railroad or a particular locomotive of a railroad?

There are certainly sources of information for your project.

Best wishes, Ed

[Anonymous]

Thank for your reply.The exact type is F7A.I have already almost entirely
scratchbuilt the body and have began the two-axles truck, but I need a lot
of information to add details. (To pick-up shapes and sizes of the body,
I used a HO Marklin model and a two view drawing from an old Walthers
catalog).I need too several colour schemes to choose one of them to
finish my model. Thanks Ed.

[Anonymous]

I model the B&O and this site has a lot of useful photos of F7 A units as well as many others. The F7's are in the 4000 - 4999 section. It would be helpful if you picked a particular railroad to model because each railroad modified or ordered them slightly differently. Hope this helps some.

[7j43k]

Basic drawings and photographs of the F7 are on page 92 of Kalmbach Publishing's book "Model Railroader Cyclopedia-Volume 2 Diesel Locomotives". It is a very interesting collection of black and white photographs and drawings of American diesels.

Be warned that not all F7's look the same. Details vary, even though they all are very similar. I think that you should first pick the color scheme and railroad you want to copy and then find more extensive and frequently black and white photos for the detailing. I can't think of what would be a perfect book for you: Color photos of F7's. Perhaps someone else can suggest such a book. I suggest for a start that you go to www.athearn.com and examine the color photos of their model F7's. That would be in their Genesis line. That will give you a few examples. Of course, the colors are not exact, but you might find one that you like. If you do, do an internet search for "morning sun books" and "four ways ways west publications". These two publishers produce many books with color photographs of particular railroads. You will then have even more photographs in color of the locomotive you want to model. There are also historical societies for many railroads that are a source of information--sometimes helpful for an exact color match. There are also sources of black and white photos too numerous to mention. I think this will give you a good start. There is out there, I am convinced, all the information you need. The trick is finding it.

Best wishes on your project, Ed. (by the way, what is the scale ratio of your model?)

[Anonymous]

There's a Kalmbach book that might well be of help to you here. The title is "F Units, the diesels that did it" and the ISBN code is 0-89024-374-3. This has not only diagrams of the outside of an F7 but also an interior diagram. There are also plenty of photos of various Fs in action - worth buying if you can get a copy!