Description
In 1958 UP contracted with EMD to rebuild / upgrade F3 units with F9 mechanical components utilizing anything serviceable from the F3s. In February 1972, the UP F’s were destined for trade-in but a deal was struck with power-short CRIP (Rock Island) and their F units were substituted in exchange for the UP Fs. CRIP immediately pressed them into service still in UP colors.
PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:
EMD F-units were a line of diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario, Canada. They were sold to railroads throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Structurally, the locomotive was a carbody unit, with the body as the main load-bearing structure, designed like a bridge truss and covered with cosmetic panels. The so-called bulldog nose was a distinguishing feature of the locomotive’s appearance, and made a lasting impression in the mind of the traveling public.
The F-units were the most successful “first generation” road (main line) diesel locomotives in North America, and were largely responsible for superseding steam locomotives in road freight service. Before this, diesel units were mostly only built as switcher locomotives, and only used in rail yards.
F-units were sometimes known as “covered wagons”, due to the similarity in appearance of the roof of an F-unit to the canvas roof of a Conestoga wagon, an animal-drawn wagon used in the westward expansion of the United States during the late 18th and 19th centuries. When a train’s locomotive consist included only F-units, the train would then be called a “wagon train”. These two usages are still popular with the railfan community.
F-Unit SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Coupler cut levers
- Windshield wipers
- Wire grab irons
- Trainline and MU hoses
- Lit signal lights and/or beacons, if equipped
- Bell placement & type per prototype
- Directional constant lighting
- Separately-applied photo-etched metal and injection molded detail parts
- Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes & retention tanks
- Speed recorder unless noted
- See-through cab windows and full cab interior
- Etched metal fan grilles
- Body-mounted McHenry® scale knuckle couplers - Kadee® compatible
- Lift rings
- Sanding lines
- Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
- Accurately painted and printed paint schemes
- Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
- All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- LED Lighting for realistic appearance
- Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
- Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage
- DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
- Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:
- Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
- Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality
- Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
- Individual sound boards installed in both A and B units (sound units only)
- Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
- Some functions are limited in DC
- All functions NMRA-compatible in DCC mode
- Excellent low-speed operation
- Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
- Lighting effects such as beacons, Gyralight where prototypically accurate
- Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
- CV chart included in the box
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
- Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment
- Faded base colors matched to the prototype
- Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust
FEC FEATURES:
- Late F3 w/ FARR grilles
- No Dynamics
- Standard Freight Pilots (A units)
- M5 Horn
- FWD Gryalite w/ Emergency Red warning light
- Cut skirts
ATSF FEATURES:
- F7 Phase 1
- Dynamic Brakes w/ 36” fans
- Leslie A-200 Horns
- Can Radio Antenna
- Cut/removed skirts
LN F7 UNIT FEATURES:
- No dynamic brakes
- Freight pilot (A-units)
- Roof Overhang
- Horizontal Grilles
- Full Skirt
- Leslie 5-chime horn (A-unit)
LN F9 UNIT FEATURES:
- No dynamic brakes
- Freight pilot (A-units)
- No roof overhang
- Vertical Grilles
- Cut Skirt
- Hancock Air Whistle (A-Unit)
CRIP FEATURES:
- Ex-UP with Faded colors
- Dynamic Brakes w/48” Fans
- Front Gyralight (A units)
- Firecracker Antenna
- Full Skirts
- Road number specific details
MKT FEATURES:
- F3 or F7 per road number
- Large roof mounted cooling coils
- Non-Dynamic (except for 75E)
- Single standard headlight
- FARR or Chickenwire grilles
- Dual “Blatt” horns (A units)
SNCT FEATURES:
- F7 with FARR grilles
- Number-specific details
- Single headlight housing w/dual lights
- “Western-Cullen” Beacon
- Winterized Hatch
Specifications
- Axles: 4
- Coupler Style: McHenry Scale Knuckle
- DCC: Ready/21-Pin NEM
- Era: 1971-1990,1991-2009,2010-Present Day
- Full Road Name: Rock Island
- Lighting: LED
- Minimum Radius: 18
- Paint Scheme: Former UP
- Prototype Manufacturer: EMD
- Reporting Mark: CRIP
- Scale: HO
- Sub Brand: GENESIS
- Truck Style: Blomberg B
- Wheel Configuration: B-B
