Wikipedia

EMD F3

TheEMD F3is a 1,500-horsepower(1,100 kW)B-Bfreight- andpassenger-haulingcarbodydiesel locomotiveproduced between July 1945 and February 1949 byGeneral Motors’Electro-Motive Division.Final assembly was at GM-EMD'sLa Grange, Illinoisplant. A total of 1,106 cab-equipped leadA unitsand 694 cabless boosterB unitswere built.

EMD F3
BN #9762, ex-NP #6502, leading theNorth Coast HiawathaintoYakima, Washingtonin August 1971.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division(EMD)
ModelF3
Build dateJuly 1945 – February 1949
Total produced1,106A units,694B units
Specifications
Configuration:
​
•AARB-B
Gauge4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)
TrucksBlomberg B
Wheel diameter40 in (1,016 mm)
Minimum curve23° (250.79 ft or 76.44 m radius)
Wheelbase39 ft (11.89 m)
Length50 ft 8 in (15.44 m)
Width10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Height15 ft (4.57 m)
Loco weight234,000 lb (106,000 kg)
Fuel capacity1,200 US gal (4,500 L; 1,000 imp gal)
Prime moverEMD 16-567B
RPMrange275-800
Engine typeTwo-strokeV16diesel
AspirationRoots-type supercharger
Displacement9,072 cu in (148.66 L)
GeneratorEMD D-12
Traction motors(4) EMD D-17-B or D-27-B
Cylinders16
Cylinder size8+1⁄2in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed102 mph (164 km/h)
Power output1,500hp(1.1 MW)
Tractive effort55,000 lb (25,000 kg)

The F3 was the third model in GM-EMD's highly successfulF-unitseries ofcab unitdiesel locomotives, and it was the second most produced of the series. The F3 essentially differed from theEMD F2in that it used the “new” D12 generator to produce more power and from the laterEMD F7in electrical equipment. Some late-model F3's had the same D27traction motors,along with the heavier-duty electrical cables, used in the F7, and were referred to as modelF5by EMD's Engineering Department.

Design

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The F3 used a 16-cylinder567Bseries diesel engine developing 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) at 800 rpm. The 567 was designed specifically for railroad locomotives, amechanically scavenged, or "blown"2 stroke45 degree V type with 567 cu in (9.29 L) displacement per cylinder, for a total of 9,072 cu in (148.66 L). A D.C. generator powered four traction motors, two on each Blomberg B truck.[1][2]The locomotive could be geared for either freight or passenger service and had a maximum speed of 102 miles per hour (164 km/h).[3]

The carbodies of the A units varied over the production history of the F3 and are grouped by historians into four phases. Phase I is similar to the F2, distinguished by three portholes on the side and "chicken wire" grilles along the top edge of the carbody. Phase II reduced the number of portholes to two and included wire mesh between the portholes. Phase III eliminated that mesh; Phase IV eliminated the top wire mesh in favor a stainless steel grille.[4]EMD occasionally referred to the Phase IV locomotives as theF5but this never became official.[5]

Eighteen F3s and oneF7were rebuilt for commuter rail service in 1978–1979. The most significant changes was the installation of a separate generator forhead-end power.Visually, the side panels with portholes were replaced. The rebuilt locomotives were designatedFP10.[6]

History

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The F3 was designed as a follow-up to the successfulEMD FTlocomotive. The primary changes were threefold: mechanical reorganization of the interior to permit faster construction, an improved prime mover developing 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) instead of 1,350 hp (1.01 MW), and a new main generator (the D12) to handle the increased power output.[7]After problems developed with the first set of demonstration locomotives, EMD introduced a modified design called theF2using the generator (D4) from the FT. This limited power output to 1,350 hp (1.01 MW).[8]EMD built 104 F2s while it worked to eliminate the problems with the D12 generator.[9]Production of the F3 began in November 1946.[8]

The F3 was a successful design that encouraged the process ofdieselizationin the United States.[10]TheMissouri–Kansas–Texas Railroadconducted extensive trials with EMD's demonstration unit against its own2-8-2locomotives, following which it ordered 21 F3s. The "Katy" was fully dieselized by 1952.[11]

Original owners

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EMD built approximately 1,800 F3 locomotives: 1,106A unitsand 694B units.Forty-nine railroads purchased A units; of these, thirty-nine purchased B units. The three most significant buyers were theUnion Pacific Railroad,Southern Railway,andSouthern Pacific Railroad,which purchased 179, 178, and 160 locomotives, respectively. Other major buyers included thePennsylvania Railroad,Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad,andAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.[7]

Preservation

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Several F3s are preserved at tourist lines and museums, including:

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A unit carbodies of the F3

Notes

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  1. ^Pinkepank (1973),pp. 13, 26, 90–101.
  2. ^Ross (2003),pp. 261, 273.
  3. ^Solomon (2011),p. 81.
  4. ^Cook (2015b),pp. 54–55.
  5. ^Wilson (2017),p. 68.
  6. ^Solomon (2011),pp. 138–139.
  7. ^abCook (2015a),p. 26.
  8. ^abCook (2015a),p. 28.
  9. ^Cook (2015a),p. 25.
  10. ^Solomon (2011),p. 84.
  11. ^Sapp & Hofsommer (1978),p. 8, 12–13.
  12. ^"Locomotives".Alberta Railway Museum.RetrievedNovember 2,2024.
  13. ^"Locomotives".Danbury Railway Museum.RetrievedNovember 2,2024.
  14. ^"DL&W F3 Locomotive #663".Tri-State Railway Historical Society.RetrievedNovember 2,2024.
  15. ^"About Us".Anthracite Railroads Historical Society.RetrievedNovember 2,2024.

References

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  • Cook, Preston (Spring 2015). "F Units, T to 9".Classic Trains.pp.20–35.ISSN1527-0718.
  • Cook, Preston (Spring 2015). "Inside an F unit".Classic Trains.pp.54–55.ISSN1527-0718.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973).The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide.Milwaukee, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing.ISBN978-0-89024-026-7.
  • Ross, David, ed. (2003).The Encyclopedia of Trains and Locomotives.New York: Barnes & Noble.ISBN978-0-7607-9679-5.
  • Sapp, Leon H.; Hofsommer, Don L. (March 1978). "The Day Steam Lost".Rail Classics.Vol. 7, no. 2. pp.8–13.ISSN0194-9187.
  • Solomon, Brian (2011).Electro-Motive E-Units and F-Units: The Illustrated History of North America's Favorite Locomotives.Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press.ISBN978-0-7603-4007-3.
  • Wilson, Jeff (2017).Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives.Waukesha, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing.ISBN978-1-62700-455-8.

Further reading

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