E-L man tom Although I model the mid-60's to mid-70's and there were plenty of F units still in service then, I'm more of a hood, rather than a cab unit fan. However I do have 9 F units: 4 F7A's, 1 F3A, 3 F7B's and 1 F3B
Although I model the mid-60's to mid-70's and there were plenty of F units still in service then, I'm more of a hood, rather than a cab unit fan. However I do have 9 F units: 4 F7A's, 1 F3A, 3 F7B's and 1 F3B
The few F units I saw in the 1970s were on the Penn Central/Conrail and were used as boosters. I can't remember the last time I saw one on the head end of a revenue train. I've seen a few recently on tourist railroads
Lets see here. All my F-units are Rio Grande. I sold all the UP ones I used to have.
F3 ABBA set Challenger Imports(brass but run super smooth)
F7 ABA Stewart w/ sound
F7 ABBA Stewart w/ sound
F9 ABA Athearn Genesis w/ sound
I can only really use the F9's for the era of my layout but damn if the F3 are beautiful and run super well. I got them for the same price as a new set of Athearn Gensis locos so I couldn't pass them up. They look great leading the Rio Grande Zephyr although they still need decoders and sound.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
4four
I want more
And I will have them
There is nothing more beautiful than the duel green Northern Pacific AB
There's no shortage of covered wagons at my club, so I have just two -- a pair of Bowser F7s painted in late NYC scheme, which I run with other NYC or PC locos.
A friend, whose equipment I help maintain, has a pair of FT A-units in NYC lightning stripe. I am looking for corresponding B units to make them a proper set.
And I assume you mean classic EMDs... I also have a trio of Walthers F40PHs (Amtrak, natch); a blue-box F45 I just bought as a stand-in for an SDP40F, an A-B-B-A set of Bachmann Alco FA/B-2s in NYC (lightning stripe) and an old LL/P2K FA-2 in later NYC paint.
Aaron
I'm joining this thread late but in response to the quetion posed in the OP I have two answers, I'm not sure and not nearly enough. F-units is what I remember best from my youth. The MoPac had a since abandoned branch through North Omaha and often we would be stopped at the grade crossing on California St. and see long lash ups of A and B units. I didn't know then the difference between a F3 and a F7 but it didn't much matter. Later I remember them getting replaced with second generation diesels but the F-unit is still what I think of when I picture a diesel locomotive. I knew when I built my present layout I would have lots of them. Mostly I run them in AB pairs but occasionally I will put together an ABBA lash-up.
SeeYou190 Track fiddler Northern Pacific green and light green AB set . It is hard to think of any locomotive paint scheme that is as handsome as a set of NORTHERN PACIFIC F units in two tone green. . -Kevin .
Track fiddler Northern Pacific green and light green AB set
.
It is hard to think of any locomotive paint scheme that is as handsome as a set of NORTHERN PACIFIC F units in two tone green.
-Kevin
I know..... I really must have one but they are so hard to find in N scale, no one wants to part with them I guess. TF
If you do find a set they go for buku bucks. I wish they would do a new run of these!
Track fiddlerNorthern Pacific green and light green AB set
Living the dream.
I bought a Kato Great Northern AB set quite a while ago and then my wife surprise me with the CD set for Christmas. I can hardly wait to see how many Freight cars this mean roster team pulls.
I've had my eyes open for a great northern sky blue AB because I had one when I was a kid and the Northern Pacific green and light green AB set.... hard to find either. TF
dstarr My F units. An AB pair painted in the Mcginnis scheme. Athearn Bluebox. And the old B&M maroon and gold scheme. Also Athearn blue box. Future projects. Paint all the truck sideframes grimey black. Couple them together more closely. Weather the roof fans lightly.
My F units.
An AB pair painted in the Mcginnis scheme. Athearn Bluebox.
And the old B&M maroon and gold scheme. Also Athearn blue box.
Future projects. Paint all the truck sideframes grimey black. Couple them together more closely. Weather the roof fans lightly.
Couping them closer is easy with this:
http://www.americanlimitedmodels.com/ho-athearn-f-unit-close-coupling-adapter-kit-black/
Or with Diaphragms as well:
http://www.americanlimitedmodels.com/ho-athearn-f-unit-connection-kit-black/
Sheldon
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
yes funny i a huge articulated steam guy & i looked at my diesels & i only have a proto union pacific f3 & a pair of A/B rio grande , thats all
I have 3 FT units
-ATSF Bachmann Ho scale
-CB&Q Bachmann Ho 123
-CN Mantua Tyco 6536 Ho scale
Planning on getting more, though.
xboxtravis7992 Let me be the lame guy here and say, zero. Nada Nilch Zip Squat!Not that I don't love me some F-Units, its just I have not yet had time to plop down cash for some. $200+ for some Athearn or Intermountain unit with the full DCC and Sound? Yeah, I ain't going to build a fleet of those overnight, at least not until I finish college.
Let me be the lame guy here and say, zero. Nada
Nilch
Zip
Squat!Not that I don't love me some F-Units, its just I have not yet had time to plop down cash for some. $200+ for some Athearn or Intermountain unit with the full DCC and Sound? Yeah, I ain't going to build a fleet of those overnight, at least not until I finish college.
Suddenly, I fear I have lost my mind. Its been over a week since the first post, but while walking through the store today I suddenly remembered; "Wait, don't I own a Bachmann FT ATSF unit from their DCC Commander starter set?"Yep. One.Uno.A single unit. So suddenly my claim about not owning any F units ever has been flushed out the door! So how did I forget this engine? Its been in my 'deadline' for a while (IE sitting on a shelf gathering dust). Its always been an awful runner, and just doesn't work since I tried a weathering experiment on it a while back. It and the ATSF GP40 that also came in the set though are my least favorite engines in my collection, but at least the GP40 still works so I haven't forgotten about it. So yes... I own one F unit so awful I might as well own zero!
19 Fs in operation, with another 3 deadlined for various reasons. All Rio Grande. Mostly Genesis, with 6 Walthers/P2K sound units thrown in, along with 2 Stewart FT A-B sets. Used to have quite a few Stewart Fs, but sold them off to standardize a little. Needed to thin the herd. The only Fs I still need (beyond adding sound to a few) would be a nice set of Monon Fs, in black and gold even though I'm from the south end of the system. A cousin is married to the daughter of a Monon engineer.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
dti406 SeeYou190 riogrande5761 Stewart have the best silky smooth KATO chassis and they look pretty good too. You can add details to taste. Also, the Kato bodies are pre-dimpled at the drill locations for the Walthers F Unit dress up kit. That kit can be had for 5-10 dollars. The kit does an A/B set of locomotives.. -Kevin I would get the Detail Associates kit, much finer wire than the Walther's. Rick Jesionowski
SeeYou190 riogrande5761 Stewart have the best silky smooth KATO chassis and they look pretty good too. You can add details to taste. Also, the Kato bodies are pre-dimpled at the drill locations for the Walthers F Unit dress up kit. That kit can be had for 5-10 dollars. The kit does an A/B set of locomotives.. -Kevin
riogrande5761 Stewart have the best silky smooth KATO chassis and they look pretty good too. You can add details to taste.
Also, the Kato bodies are pre-dimpled at the drill locations for the Walthers F Unit dress up kit. That kit can be had for 5-10 dollars. The kit does an A/B set of locomotives..
I would get the Detail Associates kit, much finer wire than the Walther's.
Rick Jesionowski
The only Walthers dress-up kit I've ever seen was for the Athearn (Globe) F7; It had a wire grabs and window parts for the side portals, side cab and windshield. The glazing was sized to fit the Athearn F7 shell.
The Stewart F's come with all the window glass so the only thing you need to add are the grab irons. I'm with Rick on this one, even the Walthers grabs are rather thick. It would yield better results to buy thin wire and bend it to length and install. IIRC, close to scale would be 0.010 wire.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Only about 16. One F2A, 3 FTA, 1 FTB,2 F3A, 3 F7A, 3 F7B, 1 F-10 from Athearn blue box F-7, MR Article, 1 FL9A, from a couple Athearn Blue Box, and an FP7A, also Athearn BB. I USED to have a couple unpowered Globe F7s, but they became the body for a planned electric in my high school days, and a Varney F-3 that jumped the track from a layout edged trestle about 5 feet off the floor. Noisy, but outpulled the Pre-super power athearns. Anybody for Geeps?
SeeYou190 riogrande5761 Stewart have the best silky smooth KATO chassis and they look pretty good too. You can add details to taste. . Also, the Kato bodies are pre-dimpled at the drill locations for the Walthers F Unit dress up kit. That kit can be had for 5-10 dollars. The kit does an A/B set of locomotives. . So, you can get a decent looking fine running A/B set for around $100.00 if you shop a bit. . -Kevin .
Also, the Kato bodies are pre-dimpled at the drill locations for the Walthers F Unit dress up kit. That kit can be had for 5-10 dollars. The kit does an A/B set of locomotives.
So, you can get a decent looking fine running A/B set for around $100.00 if you shop a bit.
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Modeling SP, UP, ATSF in the 50's - 60's, hence:
30 F-3 A&B62 F-7 A&B 2 F-9 A
plus FP-45s and F-45s.
Not sure if it's a virus, but definitely some kind of disease
As I model the 70's, I ony have a few:
1 F7A used for passenger service, custom protolanced scheme. (Athearn BB with some some added and replaced details. Scheme inspired by the NP Pine Tree scheme.) This one is the only one that is actually used for a layout.
I also have: an F7A-B set of the newer RTR Athearn in the NP Pine Tree scheme (I'm a big NP fan.) and an older Athearn (round gray motor that I replaced with a gold flat side) F7B that is sitting in a tote in a storage unit. (Custom maintainance scheme for snow plow pusher service.)
ATLANTIC CENTRALI guess it has a lot to do with the era you model. I don't own any models of any locomotives built after 1954.
I don't own any models of any locomotives built after 1954.
chutton01 I've always be ambivalent on the traditional first generation F-Units, so I have none of those, and the Penn & Delaware tourist train on my PDT uses an ALCO RS-3 as the vintage power.I did have an F40 at one point, but sold it off years ago (back when eBay was still a going concern) in favor of AEM-7 Meatballs & P40s Genesis.
I've always be ambivalent on the traditional first generation F-Units, so I have none of those, and the Penn & Delaware tourist train on my PDT uses an ALCO RS-3 as the vintage power.I did have an F40 at one point, but sold it off years ago (back when eBay was still a going concern) in favor of AEM-7 Meatballs & P40s Genesis.
I guess it has a lot to do with the era you model.
Exactly 1 (not counting my Lionel O set on display) The Bachmann NS Executive A unit for my business train.
Joe Staten Island West
I have 15. Mostly Athearn BB kits. All with DCC and in sets A/B, A/B/A and A/A. Each set has at least one sound decoder.
New York Central predominates but there is a Union Pacific, Santa Fe A/B/A, and Pennsylvania set.
These are in addition to multiple sets a E7s and E8s for Pennsy, NYC and Santa Fe.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
OK. I'll play. I model 1954, so we have some F units.....
ATLANTIC CENTRAL
ABA set - Athearn "blue box" EMD F7 units, super detailed, can motors, cab interiors, American Limited diaphragms/close coupling
ABBA set - Genesis EMD F3's - buit from highliner kits, steam heat equiped for dual service
2 - ABB sets - Intermountain FP7 with F7B units - for passenger or freight service, built from kits
2 - ABBA sets - Proto2000 ALCO FA1/FB1
WESTERN MARYLAND
ABA set - Genesis EMD F7 - fireball paint scheme
B&O
ABBA set - Intermountain EMD F3 - blue/grey scheme, steam heat equiped
ABA set - Proto2000 ALCO FA2/FB2 - blue/grey scheme
ABBA set - Proto2000 ALCO FA2/FB2 - first solid blue scheme with black/gold stripe (this paint scheme existed only briefly around 1957? - but its my railroad)
C&O
ABA set - Proto2000 F7 - as built "wave" paint scheme.
totals:
ATLANTIC CENTRAL - 21 powered units
WESTERN MARYLAND - 3 powered units
B&O - 11 powered units
C&O - 3 powered units
38 units total
Then there are the ALCO PA's and the EMD E units.........
PS - as most of you know, we are all DC here, no DCC or sound.....
"average" purchase price, well under $100 each, most purchased "new"
F units, 22 on the books, maybe 2 or 3 hidden in boxs. If I had to guess it would have been lower, totaling like maybe 15.
I have accumulated a lot of EMD first generation F-units. Most of them are Burlington (CB&Q). I have a total of 62 with 34 A units and 28 B units. 45 of the units are currently operated on my layout.
EMD models are FT, F2, F3 phase 1, F3 phase 2, F3 phase 4, F7, F9, and FP7.
CB&Q ... 13 A units. 11 B units.
ATSF .... 6 A units. 5 B units.
GN .... 4 A units. 5 B units.
NP .... 5 A units. 4 B units.
UP ..... 4 A units. 1 B unit.
NYC ..... 2 A units. 2 B units.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Now, we're talking my favorite type of "F" units--after my FL-9s. Two A-B-B-A consists of FA/FB-1s in a mix of New Haven's green and "gold", McGinnis and trustee paint schemes. Some of you made passing mention of E units, F-45s, F40PHs, etc. I proudly own four "honorary steam locomotives". Three Erie-Lackawanna and one New Haven Alco PA-1s. That NH number will increase when Walthers new release arrives.