[Krieglok]

I have been looking for a Union Pacific F unit set for a while. The UP was my Dad’s favorite railroad and he liked the F units in particular. He likely saw them out in California in the late 40’s or early 50’s when he was in the US Navy and passed through there on occasion.

The UP does have a great looking paint scheme. I can understand the attraction.

I waited for some time for a set I liked, to appear. I found it on EBay. It is the basic three unit set with an add-on B unit. They all came together.

Today, I took the primary unit and opened it up to replace the battery with a BCR2, a quick and easy operation. I set up the two A units on my test track and powered it up. After adding some smoke fluid, I entered them in the remote and started them.

Everything worked nicely, especially the smoke. They have some mileage/time on them, so they will need some light cleaning.

I only had one issue with the remote and the engines. I hit the “engine sounds” button and shut off the engine sounds. However it wouldn’t turn the sounds back on. I restored the sounds only after doing a factory reset. I really don’t understand the way the remote works, sometimes

Finally, these are F3 units with steam generators for passenger service. I am guessing they were used in both passenger and freight service on the UP. Maybe one of our UP fans might know the answer to that...

Tom

 

[Millstonemike]

... The UP was my Dad’s favorite railroad and he liked the F units in particular.

Tom

Nice loco's. And they'll remind you of your dad when you run them.

I have a pair of old sewing scissors in my desk pencil cup. The kind with the shiny blades and painted black finger holes. They were my grandmother's and they remind me of her when I use them - at least once a day.

 

[Spence]

Nice looking ABBA set. :thumbsup:

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I think you need more track Tom! Good looking set, but I doubt you'll be able to get them up to speed in six inches...

 

[Jeff T]

Those are really nice Tom!!!

I don't have good luck with UP engines, long story...

I believe Vern is our resident UP expert!!

 

[Norton]

Very nice Tom. I only recently started looking at UP but right now only vintage engines still in service.
Too bad MTH and Lionel don't offer alternative pilots like K-Line did. That big coupler seriously detracts from an otherwise fine looking engine.

Pete

 

[seayakbill]

Never seen a F unit that I didn't like. Nice looking set.

Bill

 

[Krieglok]

Thanks guys. I have a number of UP engines, but this is the most “vintage” diesel set I own. My other UP diesels are modern.

I like the paint scheme and the details this set has.

Pete, were all the K-Line Fs supplied with a separate “fixed” pilot? Or was it a option for certain models?

Tom

 

[Jeff T]

Never seen a F unit that I didn't like. Nice looking set.

Bill

You're whistling my song!!

 

[Maxum]

My dad has several sets of MTH UP F units. They're nice looking and run great. Enjoy them!

 

[Norton]

Tom, not sure if all the K-Line F7s came with mulitple pilots but pretty sure most made after 2002 did. They came with three. One for the big coupler, one for a scale coupler and one with the coupler cover closed. I opted for the closed version on my NYC.

Pete

 

[Krieglok]

Thanks Maxum! I can’t wait to run them.

Pete, that is quite a contrast! The pilot you show here, is that attached to the truck or the body shell of the engine?

Tom

 

[Lee Willis]

Nice. I have gobs of UP locos, but I just realized: I don't have any UP F units.

Those was great.

 

[Norton]

Tom, the one with the scale coupler and closed doors get mounted to the frame vs the truck. Totally reversable.
P&D hobby offer E/F unit pilots too. They come with a smaller opening for a scale coupler plus they have closed doors that fit over the opening. They have them in plastic and brass. I got plastic ones and glued them to the body.
This on a K-Line E8.

Pete

 

[Krieglok]

That is a great improvement. Someone was telling me about “filler” pieces that are available for O scale Three rail locomotives that fill in the gap between the pilot/stairs on Geeps and between the pilot and the car body on F/E units. I have never seen them though. They may be just used in display situations rather than on operating engines....

Tom

 

[CKCECB]

Those look great, how long was your search? You must have great discipline to wait for a set that was what you really wanted. I don't have any F units, but they have been on my want list for 40 some years now. There is something about the curves that is timeless.
Chris

 

[beachhead2]

Great looking engines, Tom. I have some UP F7's on preorder from the latest MTH catalog. I hope they look as good as those.

 

[Krieglok]

Thanks Chris. I wanted a UP F unit set for some time. I was watching MTH and Lionel products for either a PS2/3v or TMCC system and this set appeared. I liked the details on the pilot and the decent paint work. They have a few miles on them, but they are in great shape. I have had to straighten some of the spring hangers on the truck frames. They seem to be a weak spot on the later Blomburg truck design MTH uses.

Beachhead2, Thank you too. I am betting the new UP Fs from MTH will be excellent. My budget doesn’t allow for too much brand new/current releases, but it is nice to get them that way when the getting is good...

Tom

 

[beachhead2]

I did Mr. Muffin's layaway plan. So the good news it will be paid for by the time it arrives.