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  • Non-FP7/9/FL9 F-units in passenger service

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Discussion of Electro-Motive locomotive products and technology, past and present. Official web site can be found here: http://www.emdiesels.com/.

Moderator: GOLDEN-ARM

 #548986  by USRailFan
 
Other than Northern Pacific, Santa Fe and Western Pacific, which other railroads used F-units in passenger service (disregarding the FP7/9s and FL9s)? Did all these F-units have the steamheat-equipment in the B-unit like on Santa Fe?
 #549028  by rdganthracite
 
The Reading used FT AB sets for passenger service during the summer when steam heat was not needed. They did not have steam generators.
 #549094  by Typewriters
 
The New York Central had two A-B-A sets of F-3's which were classed as dual-service, fitted with a higher gear ratio than all of the other NYC F-units and which were all fitted (all four A units and both B units) with steam generators. Unlike all of the other NYC F-units these six units did not have dynamic brakes.

-Will Davis
 #549138  by MEC407
 
Maine Central had a pair of F3A/F3B sets that were equipped for passenger service. The A units and B units both had steam generators.

Boston & Maine had F units ranging from FT to F7 and I'm sure some of them were used in passenger service but I don't know the specifics.
 #549254  by Tom coughlin
 
The Bangor & Aroostook had two F3A's with Steam Generators (506? and 507). Didn't the Western Pacific have passenger equipped F3A's and B's to power the Calf. Zephyr before FP-7's arrived. I believe the WP also had a couple of boiler equipped F7B's
 #549289  by westr
 
Great Northern used F-units on the Empire Builder and other trains after being unsatisfied with the E7s.
Spokane, Portland & Seattle supplemented their single E7 with F-units.
Union Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy had F3 sets for passenger service.
Denver & Rio Grande Western had generator-equipped FTs, F3s, F7s & F9s for passenger service. Some of the F9s were in regular passenger sevice on the Rio Grande Zephyr into the 1980s.
Southern Pacific had generator-equipped B-units for use with black-widow FP7s. I think freight Fs were also used with the generator-equipped B-units on some night trains, secondary trains and mail trains.
Burlington Northern and Amtrak had hand-me-down passenger Fs.
 #549295  by Typewriters
 
Further info:

Found a shot in an old Don Ball book of a Southern Railway set with boilers that could be either F-2 or F-3, and Dave has a manual indicating at least that Southern 6700-6701 (F-2A) had boilers, and 800 gallon water capacity.

Gulf, Mobile & Ohio had nine F-3A and three F-3B units with steam generators.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific F-2A units 38-49 had steam generators, 70 MPH gear ratio and 600 gallon boiler water capacity.

Erie had seven A-B-A sets of F-3 units (800 A,B,C thru 806 A,B,C) with boilers and dynamic brakes. A units had 800 gallon water capacity and B units had 2000 gallon water capacity. Geared for 89 MPH.

CB&Q had three A-B-A sets of F-3 units (9960 A,B,C thru 9962 A,B,C) with boilers; A units had 600 gallon water capacity and B units had 1800 gallon water capacity. Geared for 102 MPH.

These are not all-inclusive for each railroad necessarily; this info is from railroad-specific operator manuals in Dave's collection with the exception of the GM&O info which is from a book.

-Will Davis