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What Made an EMD F Unit a "Highliner"?

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  • Member since
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  • From: SE. WI.
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Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, January 26, 2019 9:32 PM

I odered some horizontal grills from my "go to" etched metal guy, but are actually made for E units, but still look good, and will work OK for my F units.

Now I know another source!  As I have some more F7 A&B powered trains I'd like to build.

Mike.

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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, January 26, 2019 6:06 PM

mbinsewi
Now I know!

Glad it was helpful, Mike. Simply searching Highliners probably doesn't work since the name is combined with "online". I was searching for F3/F7 windshields a while back and found it at that time.

Cheers! Ed

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Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, January 26, 2019 1:16 PM

Wow Ed, thanks for that link!  I should've looked around a little more before I ordered grills for a F7 A/B set I'm collecting parts for.

Now I know!

Mike.

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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, January 26, 2019 12:52 PM

BigDaddy
Athearn marketed  their Genesis units as Highliners

Athearn bought or used "under Licence" from Paul Lubliner of Highliners, Inc.

 

https://highlinersonline.com/

There is a "History of Highliners" link on that page.

 

Good Luck, Ed

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  • From: Canada, eh?
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Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, January 26, 2019 12:16 PM

Attuvian
....Had to Google the Captain. Hope Canadian fish sticks are better than the ones below the border. In any case, you managed to send me off to breakfast! Good on ya'.

John, we thought that they were pretty good, being Canadian and all, but later discovered that the seafood comes from all over the world.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think the country of origin of food is more important than the list of calories and other nonsense companies place on their packaging.  When I have a choice, I will support Canadian companies, if they're honest in letting us know what we're buying.
Highliner also has a processing plant in Portsmouth, N.H.

A little Bushmills in your coffee will make breakfast great again - Breakfast of Cham-peens!

Wayne

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  • From: Omaha, NE
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Posted by dehusman on Saturday, January 26, 2019 11:23 AM

"Highliner" is a brand name of a model.  It has nothing to do with the prototype.  Just like "Proto-2000" or "Spectrum".

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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  • From: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, January 26, 2019 11:19 AM

Athearn marketed  their Genesis units as Highliners

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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  • From: Portland, Oregon
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Posted by Attuvian on Saturday, January 26, 2019 8:45 AM

doctorwayne
 
Attuvian
....I'll get into the weeds later on these old locos. For now, what distinctive feature made a particular EMD F unit a "highliner"?

 Wayne

 

 
And thanks, Wayne.  Had to Google the Captain.  Hope Canadian fish sticks are better than the ones below the border.  In any case, you managed to send me off to breakfast!  Good on ya'.
 
John 
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Posted by Attuvian on Saturday, January 26, 2019 8:37 AM

Thanks, guys.  That takes care of it.

NHTX

   An excellent feature entitled "All About F's" appeared in the January 1970 issue of the now-defunct Extra 2200 South locomotive newsmagazine.

And thanks, NHTX, for the lead on the article.  Keeping with the birding analogy, it sounds like a great "field guide" for F unit fans.  My question becomes a case of misplaced reference.  As happens with birders: Larry says. "Hey Howard, check out that hawk on the phone pole way down the road."  Howard says, "Nice call, Larry.  It's a glass insulator." Laugh

John

 

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Posted by snjroy on Saturday, January 26, 2019 7:12 AM

Could you be referring to the C-liner?

Simon

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Posted by NHTX on Saturday, January 26, 2019 12:28 AM

   An excellent feature entitled "All About F's" appeared in the January 1970 issue of the now-defunct Extra 2200 South locomotive newsmagazine.  You may locate a copy from a seller of old magazines or one of the auction sites.  If you have a strong interest in the F unit especially the difference between the different models and phases, especially the F-3, the effort to locate a copy will be well worth it.  Photographs and line diagrams illustrate the differences.  The  second part of the article appeared in the February-March 1970 issue and, contained a tally of all F-unit production, by model, railroad, number purchased, and road numbers.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Friday, January 25, 2019 11:18 PM

Attuvian
....I'll get into the weeds later on these old locos. For now, what distinctive feature made a particular EMD F unit a "highliner"?



I would agree with Gary on this one. 

John, are you perhaps confusing F-units with Captain Highliner, the fish monger? Smile, Wink & Grin

Wayne

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Posted by NHTX on Friday, January 25, 2019 11:15 PM

     John there is no other reason an F unit would be labeled a "highliner" other than that is what a specific railroad decided to call theirs.  This is similar to railroads giving their Budd Rail Diesel Cars names such as, New Haven--Shoreliners, New York Central--Beeliners,  B&O--Speedliners, Western Pacific--Zephyrettes, etc.

     A company known as Highliners introduced a line of modular HO scale F-unit body shells some years ago.  I believe Highliners was acquired by Horizon Hobbies and the line of shells is what now is used on Athearn Genesis Fs.

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Posted by garya on Friday, January 25, 2019 11:03 PM

Attuvian

I'll get into the weeds later on these old locos.  For now, what distinctive feature made a particular EMD F unit a "highliner"?

Thanks!

John

 

Hmmm...I've never heard an F unit called a highliner.  There was a company called Highliner that made HO scale F unit shells, which I believe are the basis for Athearn Genesis F units.  Could that be what you are referring to?

Gary

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  • From: Portland, Oregon
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What Made an EMD F Unit a "Highliner"?
Posted by Attuvian on Friday, January 25, 2019 10:45 PM

Here's a quickie:

I've long since discovered that EMD F units came in a series of issues with accompanying successive phases.  I'm finding out that learning all the distinctive details and features is like learning the many field marks that distinguish between all the sparrows or winter warblers.  Unless one has become proficient, a field guide is needed.

I'll get into the weeds later on these old locos.  For now, what distinctive feature made a particular EMD F unit a "highliner"?

Thanks!

John

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