F Units...

Still the only mass produced F9s in the marketplace.  I would like to obtain some one day to play with as they can often be had for a very favorable price.  My biggest challenge is that none of the roads I model in 2 rail had F9s.  Off course, I'm not sure I should let that stop me.  The PRR had a long relationship with F units and it wouldn't be out of the realm of creative thought to think that they decided to get some F9s in early 1953 instead of jumping long hood forward first into hood units. 

I've always like the stock Yellow Bonnet F9s too but all my ATSF is 3 rail for running at the club.  Again not an insurmountable challenge to work through.

Nice looking models Mark.

Can I join in?

Here's my two F-Units. Both Atlas/Roco F9 shells, one converted to an F7, the other converted to an F7A (two shells spliced together). Drive is with 'modern Atlas' China-drive trucks from Atlas F3s.

The only thing I still need to do is tackle the pilots, to reduce that massive hole in it!!

F7 freight loco, A&B,

@SundayShunter posted:

Can I join in?

Here's my two F-Units. Both Atlas/Roco F9 shells, one converted to an F7, the other converted to an F7A (two shells spliced together). Drive is with 'modern Atlas' China-drive trucks from Atlas F3s.

The only thing I still need to do is tackle the pilots, to reduce that massive hole in it!!

I remember theses units well. had a set in maroon  and gold

@SundayShunter posted:

Can I join in?

Here's my two F-Units. Both Atlas/Roco F9 shells, one converted to an F7, the other converted to an F7A (two shells spliced together). Drive is with 'modern Atlas' China-drive trucks from Atlas F3s.

The only thing I still need to do is tackle the pilots, to reduce that massive hole in it!!

Ah...  The 2203A has good old Soo Line "winterization" kit installed.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

Ah...  The 2203A has good old Soo Line "winterization" kit installed.

Rusty

It certainly has!! I did it with real masking tape, too!!

Here's an old picture of my F7 & FP7 while still being detailed some years ago. I took it to show the difference in lengths, the FP7 being longer by 4ft.

The conversion from F9 to F7 mainly involved removing the set of bodyside louvres that were forward of the porthole, filling in that existing forward porthole and drilling a new one closer to the cab, and making a frame for the porthole from suitable plasticard.

The splicing of two F9 shells to make the FP7 was done by someone unknown, as I just bought the model off Ebay, and even the seller didn't list it as anything other than an Atlas F9. The builder actually spliced the bodyside panels together rather than just a vertical cut down each body - it's such a neat job the only way to see the joins is looking inside the shell when it's off the chassis - which was also lengthened of course.

I added all the detail such as wire handrails and grab irons, winterisation hatches over the rearmost roof fans, scratchbuilt spark arrestor exhausts, warning beacons, windshield wipers, firecracker aerials, roof panel lifting eyes, sunshades over cab side windows, etc, and painted & decaled them myself.

I finished 502A as it was in the late '60s/early '70s, still with a top headlight, and not too dirty.

2203A was finished as it was late '70s, just prior to withdrawal in 1980; rather grubby and work stained, top headlight plated over, replacement orange number box on the Engineer's side of the nose (off a Milwaukee F-Unit, perhaps?) plus of course the trademark masking tape 'draft proofing'!!

@GG1 4877 posted:

Still the only mass produced F9s in the marketplace.  I would like to obtain some one day to play with as they can often be had for a very favorable price.  My biggest challenge is that none of the roads I model in 2 rail had F9s.  Off course, I'm not sure I should let that stop me.  The PRR had a long relationship with F units and it wouldn't be out of the realm of creative thought to think that they decided to get some F9s in early 1953 instead of jumping long hood forward first into hood units.

I've always like the stock Yellow Bonnet F9s too but all my ATSF is 3 rail for running at the club.  Again not an insurmountable challenge to work through.

Nice looking models Mark.

Um, the PD hobbies F9 Kit shells are from the old Roco units.  But don't tell your wife I told you.

@rdunniii posted:

Um, the PD hobbies F9 Kit shells are from the old Roco units.  But don't tell your wife I told you.

Forgot about that one!  We both know it is better not to tell my wife about that.   It was hard enough explaining the GG1.

the P&D Hobbies F unit shells are not from the old Roco units. 

Pat (P&D owner) had a B  unit made because guys wanted one to go with the Roco units.    the Detail on the B-unit was so much nicer than the Roco Unit, He got a lot of pressure from the guys to also do an A unit.   He then did the A Unit kits, all new tooling.     Fans and hatches were all separate parts as were pilots and the various grab irons.    he made basic shells for F3, F7 and F9 and each could be significantly modified with additional detail parts to match a given RR. 

New Atlas came shopping, and bought the tooling from Pat for their F-unit line.    They did not use his drive or his trucks.   His was a modified Weaver style drive with brass super detailed, sprung trucks.  

I built a few units and  my late friend Tom Lendzion assembled and painted a lot of the built up ones that P&D sold.

At one time prior to coming out with his line of kits, I do believe he bought a bunch of the old Roco shells for resale.    They were not marketed as P&D kits, just as Atlas F9 shells.

In my earlier hobby days when my budget was very tight, and Roco F9s became very cheap, I bought a bunch of those Roco F9s.    I had a plan to kitbash a Pair of E7s out them but never did.    I did make 2 of them into a F7s as close as I could.    I did not change the grills or the 48 inch dynamic brake fan, which should have been done.   I did move the front porthole to the F7 location.    I removed the front louvre and the steam generator stuff on the roof.    I cut off all the cast on grabs and made wire ones.     And on the first one I removed the pilot and scratchbuilt a passenger style one since it was a Pennsy unit.     by the time I did the second one, Keil-Line or someone had a diecast passenger pilot and I used it.     Then I found a cast urethane B unit shell that I bought and  used the drive out of another A unit.    Since like to run 2  units, (3 overwhelm my layout), I converted another F9 to an F7 as above.    That gave me an A-A set and an A-B set.    Some else had kitbashed a master B unit shell from these and then cast a bunch.    I also added PRR Trainphone Antennas.

The attached photos show these, and a stock SF unit.    If you compare the sides of the SF unit with my conversions you can see the porthole and louvre changes.

@SundayShunter posted:

Here's an old picture of my F7 & FP7 while still being detailed some years ago. I took it to show the difference in lengths, the FP7 being longer by 4ft.

The conversion from F9 to F7 mainly involved removing the set of bodyside louvres that were forward of the porthole, filling in that existing forward porthole and drilling a new one closer to the cab, and making a frame for the porthole from suitable plasticard.

The splicing of two F9 shells to make the FP7 was done by someone unknown, as I just bought the model off Ebay, and even the seller didn't list it as anything other than an Atlas F9. The builder actually spliced the bodyside panels together rather than just a vertical cut down each body - it's such a neat job the only way to see the joins is looking inside the shell when it's off the chassis - which was also lengthened of course.

I added all the detail such as wire handrails and grab irons, winterisation hatches over the rearmost roof fans, scratchbuilt spark arrestor exhausts, warning beacons, windshield wipers, firecracker aerials, roof panel lifting eyes, sunshades over cab side windows, etc, and painted & decaled them myself.

I finished 502A as it was in the late '60s/early '70s, still with a top headlight, and not too dirty.

2203A was finished as it was late '70s, just prior to withdrawal in 1980; rather grubby and work stained, top headlight plated over, replacement orange number box on the Engineer's side of the nose (off a Milwaukee F-Unit, perhaps?) plus of course the trademark masking tape 'draft proofing'!!

Nice looking

prrjim

Those look terrific. 👍

Mark in Oregon

Hello all ...nice F units ..grow up thinking the Lionel SantaFe F's are the,cats meow ..then you see what they are really suppose to,look like ...

FT by Central Locomotive Works ..cast bronze by Adams

Top...my favorite ..KenKraft cast bronze by Adams

Bottom FT by Wentzco...Cast bronze and sheet brass

Cast lead ??? Or ?? Mystery engines with spring band drive,

Link to see the die cast Libuse ( Atwater). GMC/ All Nation

https://youtu.be/MbBpQbsqyGE

Last image,cast bronze by Baldwin

Cheers Carey,

Very nice indeed; as much as they must weigh, I bet they are great pullers.  Probably why the Atlas plastic F units when introduced were accepted, shall we say, less than enthusiastically...(?)

Mark in Oregon

@Strummer posted:

Very nice indeed; as much as they must weigh, I bet they are great pullers.  Probably why the Atlas plastic F units when introduced were accepted, shall we say, less than enthusiastically...(?)

Mark in Oregon

Have to remember the cars back then didn't have needle bearings  and are a lot heavier

My O scale F units.  All reposts, but never posted in one place.  Also all Sunset / 3rd Rail.

FP7s

FL9 & FT

F7A (I think I have a B unit!)

F3A &B

More FL9s

Forgot, I also have a K-Line unpowered F3B and the Menards FP9.

B&O F3 by K line.

PW Lionel and Williams Wabash, along with PW NYC ABBA

F-3. MEC 681

I think some haven't realised this Topic is in the 2-Rail Scale section & was originally focussed on the old Atlas/Roco F9, & what could be done with it.

Lowered, detailed, all powered and with different F unit sounds Lionel F3s.

Thanks!

This thread for O scale only?

EDIT: Never mind! I see that this is the "2 Rail Scale Model Trains" forum and the description reads:

"Forum for Modelers to Discuss 2-Rail O Scale Trains"

I was going to post some HO scale F's so HO F's could get some love... but I reckon the proper thing to do would be start an F unit thread in the HONGZ forum.

Andre

@laming posted:

This thread for O scale only?

EDIT: Never mind! I see that this is the "2 Rail Scale Model Trains" forum and the description reads:

"Forum for Modelers to Discuss 2-Rail O Scale Trains"

I was going to post some HO scale F's so HO F's could get some love... but I reckon the proper thing to do would be start an F unit thread in the HONGZ forum.

Andre

Please do...🙂

Mark in Oregon

I remember a couple of stories in "O Scale News" in the 1980s of guys picking up Atlas F9s (at the time you could get them at railroad flea markets for $10-20), removing the body shell, and replacing it with the body of a dummy Lionel GP-7. It's often forgotten that many Lionel diesels like the GP-7/9, TrainMaster, and I believe the F3, were built to 1/4" scale dimensions. With some added detailing, it produced a nice model GP at a reasonable price.

@wjstix posted:

I remember a couple of stories in "O Scale News" in the 1980s of guys picking up Atlas F9s (at the time you could get them at railroad flea markets for $10-20), removing the body shell, and replacing it with the body of a dummy Lionel GP-7.

It was a little more complicated than that.  Basically the Atlas F9's were being scavenged for the drive mechanism.  There was a fella in the Chicago area (I forget his name) that made cast aluminum GP frames to be used with the Atlas drive and Lionel GP body.  You were on your own for fabricating railings, fuel and air tanks, building or salvaging Lionel GP pilots.

The early frames weren't machined along the sides to accept the side sill overlay, the later ones were.

Rusty

@GG1 4877 posted:

My O scale F units.  All reposts, but never posted in one place.  Also all Sunset / 3rd Rail.

FP7s

FL9 & FT

F7A (I think I have a B unit!)

F3A &B

More FL9s

Forgot, I also have a K-Line unpowered F3B and the Menards FP9.

That is a beautiful collection Jonathan,  One can see the quality and detail'... very nice'...'''

I picked these up in my early days of O scale. I tweeked the B unit portholes and rivet strips, but haven't touched the paint up yet. They didn't run, split gears etc. They run now thou. They came as a ABBA set.    cTr....( Choose the Right )

As partial as I am to the Soo Line, it has to be said that the SF Warbonnet silver/red livery is possibly just the classiest paint scheme to ever grace an F-Unit.