New F3's - Kinematic Pilots

At one time near the end of K-line they offered their F-units with small covered hole, small hole with scale couplers and regular large hole with electro-couplers. All with added on detail. They were ahead of the pack then. Don

I would not be too concerned with exact scale with Lionel products. Nothing that they ever made is exact scale starting with the wheels, trucks and couplers, to the size of the bars on the Legacy Hudson windows. If you are a stickler for scale then brass is the way to go.  Scale may be more realistic but semi-scale is good enough for me.  It looks good and visitors to the layout view it as a complete presentation.

The only thing we're able to do with the new units is add Kadee mount capability. No kinematic or fixed pilots.

Thanks.

Dave Olsen,

Will the new F3’s have “chicken wire” sides surrounding the portholes?

thanks

scale rail posted:

At one time near the end of K-line they offered their F-units with small covered hole, small hole with scale couplers and regular large hole with electro-couplers. All with added on detail. They were ahead of the pack then. Don

I think the more we catch up studying what K-line did, the more we will miss them. It's funny I'm still learning of their innovations now.

Those K-Line F3s look awful. Why are they squinting?

Thats a shame about the fixed pilot. I don't think I can go back after having them on the Atlas F7's and seeing how much it improved the look. 

Maybe I am way out in left field here, but, kinematic couplers and pilots restrict usage (AND SALES) to those of us that do not have unlimited amount of room for the wider radius curves required for them to work properly. I would suggest the option of having both conventional pilots and Kinematic pilots available giving us the option. Quite frankly the addition of Kinematic system to newer locomotives has pushed me into the used market and out of the NEW Locomotive market.

Not all of us have the "acreage" to run huge layouts.

Norm Charbonneau posted:

Those K-Line F3s look awful. Why are they squinting?

'cause they don't want to look at their cousin

Norm, In defense of the K-line F units it's the bad way I shot them. The windows are the same as Lionel's but the light is hitting the insides and makes the thicker  "glass" look strange. Don

"I would not be too concerned with exact scale with Lionel products. Nothing that they ever made is exact scale"

Wrong.

scale rail posted:

At one time near the end of K-line they offered their F-units with small covered hole, small hole with scale couplers and regular large hole with electro-couplers. All with added on detail. They were ahead of the pack then. Don

As they were in many ways. Between K-Line and Weaver, we lost something like 50% of 3RO's modeling vitality, regardless of the Whys and Becauses of it.

D500 posted:

"I would not be too concerned with exact scale with Lionel products. Nothing that they ever made is exact scale"

Wrong.

scale rail posted:

At one time near the end of K-line they offered their F-units with small covered hole, small hole with scale couplers and regular large hole with electro-couplers. All with added on detail. They were ahead of the pack then. Don

As they were in many ways. Between K-Line and Weaver, we lost something like 50% of 3RO's modeling vitality, regardless of the Whys and Becauses of it.

Actually, nothing is perfectly scale in 1:48 O-gauge. Thus the comment that nothing Lionel makes is exactly scale is correct. The prototype railroads operate on a track gauge of 1435 mm (4 feet 8 and 1/2 inches). However, our 1:48 gauge trains on their 1 1/4 inch tract operate on a 5 foot gauge in scale terms. Thus, all of our model 1:48 trains are not exactly scale. They can't be because the track gauge is a scale 5 feet in comparison to the prototype's 4 feet 8 and 1/2 inches. 

In Russia the track gauge is 1520 mm (4 feet 11 and 27/32 inches), Thus, 1:48 on 1 1/4 inch track is much more prototypical for Russian trains rather than those for the NA/Europe. 

If we moved to 17/64 inch scale then the track gauge would be correct and the trains could be made to more exact scale. 

Disappointing to hear that there will be no kinematic pilots.