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I received a 3.0 today from Menards, though I have not placed it on the track as of yet, this is my unpacking thoughts and a repair person........

1) They have placed the loco on a plastic bag inside of the bubble pack, no paint scuffs on shell

2) I call it a fp7/fp 9 as it does not have the tell tail side vents in the porthole band, the FP9 would have an extra vent compared to a FP7

3) this is a non-dynamic break version (for the nit pic modeler)

4) couplers will not open unless forced, this is due to the fact the hole in the uncoupler bar is to small, original Lionel has this hole slotted to allow the bar to pivot, i slotted one of bars, it did improved uncoupling,

5)  I noticed one wheel having a slight wobble, have not track tested to see if this will affect running performance

6) I did notice they have a momentum (DCC term) programed into the loco

7) not sure if I care for the remote personally, however I can see the Kids liking it, however if lost the loco is useless, unless converted

8) I had a loose screw rattling around inside the loco, still do not know where it came from

9) like others I do not care for the chrome finish, silver paint would of been much better

I will update my list after I get a chance to track test

Last edited by Mike Slater
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The brow above the nose door is the key detail that makes this an FP9 as has been pointed out by others.  Only the FP9 had that detail.  The FP7 didn't.  All FP9s were built either by GMD for Canadian roads or by EMD for export to Mexico and Saudi Arabia. 

As I posted in another thread, I compared my beta 1.0 model to my Sunset FP7 and the Menards unit scales out favorably with that model. 

@GG1 4877 posted:

The brow above the nose door is the key detail that makes this an FP9 as has been pointed out by others.  Only the FP9 had that detail.  The FP7 didn't.  All FP9s were built either by GMD for Canadian roads or by EMD for export to Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

As I posted in another thread, I compared my beta 1.0 model to my Sunset FP7 and the Menards unit scales out favorably with that model.

EMD also made then for C.N.W.

@Mike Slater posted:

I recived a 3.0 today from Menards, though I have not placed it on the track as of yet, this is my unpacking thoughtd and a repair person........

1) They have placed the loco on a plastic bag inside of the bubble pack, no paint scuffs on shell

2) I call it a fp7/fp 9 as it dose not have the tell tail side vents in the porthole band, the FP9 would have an extra vent compaired to a FP7

3) this is a non dynmaic break version (for the nit pic modeler)

4) couplers will not open unless forced, this is due to the fact the hole in the uncoupler bar is to small, original lionel has this hole sloted to alow the bar to pivot, i sloted one of bars, tis improved uncoupling,

5)  I noticed one wheel having a slight wobble, have not track tested to see if this will affect running preformance

6) I did notice they have a momentum (DCC term) programed into the loco

7) not sure if I care for the remote personally, however I can see the Kids likking it, however if lost the loco is useless, unless coverted

8) I had a loose screw ratteling around inside the loco, still do not know where it came from

9) like others I do not care for the chrome finish, silver paint would of been much better

I will update my list after I get a chance to track test

Is momentum similar to odyssey?

@GG1 4877 posted:

The brow above the nose door is the key detail that makes this an FP9 as has been pointed out by others.  Only the FP9 had that detail.  The FP7 didn't.  All FP9s were built either by GMD for Canadian roads or by EMD for export to Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

As I posted in another thread, I compared my beta 1.0 model to my Sunset FP7 and the Menards unit scales out favorably with that model.

I wish Scott M would issue a 3.0 version similar to the E7 reissue. If no reissue, getting a hold of this model and detailing it to the PRR FP7 SPECS would be my most economical option.

Last edited by prrhorseshoecurve

It’s definitely an FP9, but the key spotting characteristic is the position of the front portholes. On the FP9, they sit much further back toward the center of the locomotive.

On the prototypes, the number of louvers is the same for both versions. On the FP7, all eight (four on each side) are between the portholes. On the FP9, there is a louver on each side in front of the forward porthole. Unfortunately, the louvers are missing from the Menards model, making the porthole position difference less obvious.

For those who missed the information, the real FP7 and FP9 locomotives were four feet longer than for F units, including the F7 and F9. Given that this Menards model is scaled accurately in terms of length and height for FP units, it’s clear that the product was initially inaccurately labeled as an F unit.

As for the origin of this Menards model, we can only speculate. It has become obvious that it has never been used in production before now. But is it from tooling that was sidelined by another manufacturer during its development stage? Only Menards and the tool owner knows.

@WRGMILW posted:

Maybe They will make a Rock Island version or Milwaukee version !

I hope they improve the horn sound .

The couplers seem to need improvement  as well .   

Mr Millers video showed alot !   

I would like to see Mr Slater's video as well !

Well  mine will become Milwaukee Road , as soon as I can  obtain a second unit.   Have already started obtaining parts , fabricating the side vents and relocating the porthole should be quite easy.  The second unit will have its electronics removed,( and a battery pack added) and the motors M.U.'d to the first, units board and remote!

I must have been one of the lucky ones.  My 3.0 version is fine as far as running and the wheels being aligned.  I do have a problem I need some help fixing though.  The pilot rubs the middle rail and I need to raise it a little bit, any suggestions on how to do that.  I believe someone addressed this issue with a fix but I have not been able to locate that post.

The other issue is the couplers are really hard to open.  Any fixes for that?

Otherwise, my version 3.0 runs fine and looks great.  All other functions seem to be fine also.

Hope someone has a fix for me.

Last edited by JDA

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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