Dear All,
I will not ask which one is the best because it is a personal issue, just home many. I have 10, 7 A units and 3 B units. I am trying to stick to a single rail company and to limit myself to the F3 and F7 only, but I still keep hunting for more. Am I a rare exception who should seek a cure for this? It is interesting to see how many of you are infected with the same virus [:D]
DRGW
F9ABBBA set
F7A x 6
F7B x5
F3ABBA
F9m (wreck rebuilt F3A)
WP
F3ABB
23 in all I think.
My focus is around 1979/1980 so go figure. Only F units on Rio Grande by then was F9ABB set pulling the Rio Grande Zephyr.
Here is the wreck rebuilt F
I like early NYC diesel freight so I limit myself to FT-F3s:
They are also from a variety of a manufacturers; mostly Stewart. I’ll probably downsize the number of F3s at some point. Two A-B sets is plenty for me.
Tom
I have a Santa Fe F3 ABA consist pulling a string of about 40 ‘billboard’ freight cars. Kato N scale. Silver Warbonnet. The prototypical model railroad.
I model the modern era (1975 - present), but I like the look of that particular train so I take it out for a few laps now and then.
Robert
14, LV, RDG PRR & WM. Do Pa lines in the 50’s
MKT F7 ABA As delivered
MKT F3 ABA As delivered
MKT FP7 A F7B As delvered
MKT Whitman Green F7 AB Set corrected for 1972
Missouri Pacific FT AB Set, as delivered.
Missouri Pacific F7A for above, as delivered.
Texas & Pacific F7 AB set in passenger scheme.
Santa Fe F3 ABA set in 1950’s Warbonnet
Santa Fe F7 ABA in freight blue.
Santa Fe F9 AB freight blue
Santa Fe F7 ABBA in freight blue with early seventies detail.
Santa Fe F7 AB Yellow Bonnet.
Cotton Belt FP7 A
FW&D-C&S F7 ABA set, as delivered.
SP-T&NO FP7 F7B set in Gray.
Rock Island FP7 in as delivered.
Rock Island F7A in billboard
34, but my layout is central TX based where all roads F’s were heavily used and in many cases, (Santa Fe) went to die.
I would still like to get Santa Fe bluebonnets. Deramus red Katy F’s and a Chicago Great Western maroon or red B unit to run with them and some SP Sunset Limited cars to run with those SP Gray units.
SB.
Mine are a little more modern:
1 F40PH Amtrak
1 F40PH Metrolink
1 FP45 Amtrak
2 F45 Santa Fe
2 F59PHI Metrolink
9 total
also 2 F7B units that were converted to power rotary snow plows.
Here are the 3 Metrolink units
Hmmm…not as many as I thought really, at least not up and running…
Great Northern F7 A-B-A set. These are Athearn bluebox shells painted and detailed by Duane Buck. Currently one A unit has an Athearn Genesis chassis and is drawbar connected to the dummy B unit, and the other A unit has a traditional bluebox powered chassis.
For my free-lanced “St.Paul Route” I have two A-B sets of FTs (one passenger, one freight) from Stewart/Bowser, and an F2 that is a Highliner shell on a Stewart/Bowser chassis. The F2 often runs A-B-A with one of the FT sets (which are both drawbar connected to each other.)
However I also have decorated / detailed shells for New York Central (Athearn BB F7 A-B), Minneapolis & St.Louis (Athearn BB F7 A-A) and EMD 103 demonstrator (Stewart FT A-B) that I’m working on adding powered chassis to - converting to DCC, adding sound, perhaps re-motoring etc.
(Updated) It’s a pretty common virus I think. I love the EMD F-units. I currently have 13.
One Santa Fe FT. (War bonnet)
One US Army F2A. (Olive drab)
One Pennsylvania F3A.
One SP F7A.
One UP F7A/B set.
One Santa Fe F7A/B set.(War bonnet)
One Santa Fe F7A. (Blue and yellow, recently re-motored and rebuilt)
One Santa Fe F9A. (War bonnet, recently re-motored and rebuilt)
One Alaska RR F9B.
One Amtrak F40PH. (Phase III paint)
One Santa Fe FP45. (Blue)
Going from Memory Here:
2- FP7A’s PRR DGLE
2- FL9A’s - New Haven As Delivered
2- F7A’s 1-F7B - Wabash Blue Birds
1- F7A&B PRR DGLE
2- F7A’s 1- F7B NYC
1- F3A 1- F3B NYC
Numerous F7A’s & B’s Undecorated Some will be N&W (Ex-Wabash) and PRR.
Rick Jesionowski
19 A units and only 3 B units.
Huh.
I need to buy more B’s. [:D]
Terry
California Zephyr
3 F3 Western Pacific A-B-B
3 F3 CB&Q A-B-A
4 F3 D&RGW A-B-B-A
Canadian National
2 F7 A-B (later repaint into G.N.O. Railway)
Santa Fe
4 F7 A-B-B-A
I need to get a F3 converted to look like F7 A-B-B-A set and 2 more F7B since my locomotives were delivered in a A-B-B set.
Union Pacific
1 F3A
Amtrak
9 F40PH Phase III
I been planning on getting more F3 and F7.
I think this is correct for the STRATTON & GILLETTE… All are Stewarts with Kato drives.
.
F3 A/B set, High Fans, Freight
F3 A/A Set, Low Fans, Freight
F7 A/B/A Set, Freight
F7 A/B Set, Passenger, B unit has Steam Generator
.
That is only 9, I thought I had 11. I might have missed a set of them.
.
-Kevin
.
1 Stewart F3 A&B for the Northern Potomac.
I model the D&H, so … zero. [swg]
Mark.
First post on this site
A-B-A set of Brass F3 Phase II chicken wire
Erie Lackawanna grey maroon & yellow
I need more!
9 A and 10 B. All Santa Fe DCC.
I have an F3A and an F7B.
Now that I think about it, here are the totals.
1 Walthers ABA set of F7’s(MILW)
2 P1K F3’s (C&NW)
4 Atlas/Roco FP7’s (MILW)
1 Athearn F9A (MILW)
I think that is it…maybe…
Jim
I’m 50 now, with 45 years in this hobby. For me, the journey has been interesting, as I was not always an F unit fan, but more of an Alco Century fan since I was 5.
For a number of reasons that do not need to be rehashed here, F units have grown on me quite a bit. I currently have only three Stewart/Kato F-3A’s with the chicken wire side grills, all nos original factory paint and lettering, the way they came:
PRR 9501
SP black widow, no number yet
WP no number yet
Here’s where I differ from some: My current pre-orders and most planned future purchases are exclusively F units.
John