I have read a couple of resouces, including Marre’s book, that state that there is no outward difference between the EMC F2 & the F3. However, I read somewhere else (and I forget where!) that the F2 rode on FT trucks, rather than the trucks that the F3 & other F-series engines rode on.
Is that correct? If so, were there any other outward differences between the two?
Thanks!
FA-2: There are no differences between the F2s and the early F3s. Railfans and modelers would call this F3 the phase one. Production of the F2s and F3s slightly overlapped. Both F2s and F3s were built by EMD, not EMC. EMD started on January 1, 1941 and was a GM merger of the Electro Motive Corporation and Winton Engine. I’ll have to get back on what type of Blomberg trucks that the early Fs rode on. [:)]
The only difference in trucks on those early Fs was that some were still equipped
with friction bearings-as seen with the squarish journal covers instead of the
round roller bearing ones. To my knowledge, there are little or no other obvious
differences.
As the years went by this distinction became largely irrelevant, as there was space in the older style journal boxes for roller bearings. EMD was a pioneer in using roller bearings (Hyatts, naturally,unless the customer REALLY wanted Timken or SKF bearings) and after WWII “plain” bearings were an extra cost option on all EMD products, except switchers (SW1, NW2,SW7,SW8,SW9,and TRs, TR1s, TR3s, TR4s and TR5s) until the SW1200/900/600 line came out in 1954, when roller bearings were the only choice a customer of EMD had. I have looked at photos of B&M and NYC F2s and there are no discernable differences between them and DL&Ws First F3 order.
Yup the only difference was internal, an F2 was externally identical to a phase 1 F3 with the three portholes. (Of course later F3’s had two portholes.)
The F2 was originally going to be a 1500 HP unit, replacing the 1350HP FT, but GM couldn’t get a part (I think an alternator??) that they needed at that time (1945). So they had to use the same one they used on the FT’s, which limited the F2’s power to 1350 HP. F2’s were only made for about 5-6 months and then the part became available, which GM then started to use in these units. GM dubbed the 1500 HP units “F-3’s” to differentiate them from the F2’s.
Wow, thanks for the responses! They are very informative.
The biggest difference operationally between the FT amd F2 was automatic transition on the F2. Horsepower was the same. But automatic transition made them easier to run.