Locomotive Up-Grades

[urrengr2003]

Other than wreck-rebuild-return, is anyone aware of EMD providing upgrading services of older F Units to F-9 specs?

[Allen Hazen]

well, the Union Pacific had some F3 that were upgraded to F9 (and subsequently passed on to the Rock Island). They didn't get stainless steel grids along the top of the sides, so in photos they look... 3-ish.
Many years ago a photo caption in "Trains" described a Souther Railway unit as an FT that had been rebuilt to F7 standards... which would, I guess, involve such minor things as new engine, new generator, new traction motors....

Sorry, don't know the answer to the question-- but maybe these will jog the memory of someone who does!

[mxdata]

EMD did offer a modernization program for F3's to bring them up to the ratings and equipment of F9's. It was written up in a brochure with a blue and black cover called Locomotive Modernization, you occasionally see one offered for sale on eBay.

MX

[Allen Hazen]

Going, here, by memory of an old "Railfan and Railroad" article by Preston Cook... F2 and later F-units shared a basic structure, making upgrading a matter of changing "modules": for instance, the F2/F3 dynamic brake (with concealed blowers and two parallel rectangular openings on the roof), the early F7 dynamic brake (36" rooftop fan) and the late F7/F9 dynamic brake (48" rooftop fan) were all mounted on a removable "hatch" on the roof in front of the radiators, making change from one to another straigthforward. Note that not all upgrades would have been to the standard of a numbered later model: a railroad could choose, for example, to install the traction motors of a later model without changing the engine. (I think Western Pacific did this on a gradual basis: installing laterr traction motors on units as they came due for major overhauls.)