My ATLAS O AMTRAK F7 Diesel locomotive A-unit #102 was delivered on February 7, 2017. A careful look-over revealed no defects that I could see and I was very pleased with the model. I placed it on my layout and set the Z-4000 to about 11 volts. The sounds started but the locomotive did not move, so I took it off the track, connected test leads and tried again. The rear motor ran (by itself) and the front motor did not, but a little more voltage and both sets of wheels were turning. I put it back on the layout and this time it began to run, and also reversed direction properly. The lower headlight is steadily illuminated and the upper headlight flashes on/off in forward and reverse. The red marker lights just above the number boards are lit only in reverse but I’m not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be. The horn and bell sounds are good and have plenty of volume, although the functions of the horn and bell buttons on my Z-4000 are reversed with this model.
Running light at 10 volts, the current was about 0.45 amps and the cruise control maintained a very steady scale speed of 9.75 miles per hour around my O-54 curves and 5-foot straight track segments. It also ran more slowly when I reduced the voltage, so the low speed operation in conventional is fine with me – and the locomotive is not yet broken-in.
Recently, there has been much discussion on the Forum about the Atlas O F7s – specifically the fuel tank height. I placed my Atlas O Santa Fe F3 #20 on the layout next to the F7. There is no doubt that the F7 fuel tank sits closer to the rails by about 0.1 inches, although I did not attempt to measure the difference. I also took a photo of each locomotive alone (see below) and it is clear that the fuel tank is lower on the F7. Contrary to some earlier comments, I also found both models to sit level on their trucks, and the vertical clearance between the trucks and the body also looks the same to me.
I have yet to compare the model with prototype photos. However, I accept the fact that most commercial models are not prototypical in at least some respects. After all, I run 3-rail… So, all in all, I’m very pleased to add the Atlas O AMTRAK F7 to my railroad.
MELGAR
