EMD F-unit
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2013) |
EMD F-units are a line of
F-units were originally designed for freight service, although many without
Structurally, the locomotive was a
The F-units were the most successful "first generation" road (main line) diesel locomotives in North America, and were largely responsible for superseding
F-units were sometimes known as "covered wagons",[1] due to the similarity in appearance of the roof of an F-unit to the canvas roof of a Conestoga wagon, an animal-drawn wagon used in the westward expansion of the United States during the late 18th and 19th centuries. When locomotives on a train included only F-units, the train would then be called a wagon train. Those two usages are still popular with the railfan community.
Models
Model designation | Build year | Total produced | AAR wheel arrangement | Prime mover | Power output | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FT | 1939–1945 | 541 B units |
555 A units,B-B (B-B+B-B with B unit) |
EMD 16-567 EMD 16-567A |
2,700 hp (2,000 kW) (with B unit) |
|
F2 | 1946 | 30 B units |
74 A units,B-B | EMD 16-567B | 1,350 hp (1,000 kW) |
|
F3 | 1946–1949 | 696 B units |
1,111 A units,B-B | EMD 16-567B | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) |
|
F7 | 1949–1953 | 1,483 B units |
2,366 A units,B-B | EMD 16-567B | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) |
|
FP7 | 1949–1953 | B units
|
381 B-B | EMD 567B | 1,500 hp (1,200 kW) |
|
F9 | 1953–1960 | 156 B units |
99 A units,B-B | EMD 16-567C | 1,750 hp (1,200 kW) |
|
FP9 | 1954–1959 | B units
|
90 B-B | EMD 567C | 1,750 hp (1,300 kW) |
|
FL9 | 1956–1960 | B units
|
60 B-A1A | EMD 567C or EMD 567D1; plus 660 V DC (3rd rail) |
567C: 1,750 hp (1,300 kW); 567D1: 1,800 hp (1,340 kW) |
Model development
The FT, introduced in 1939 with the new 1,350 hp (1.01 MW) 567 engine and Blomberg B trucks, was a successful design, and remained in production during WWII.
The F3 (1946) had a different roof arrangement that included the replacement of the FT's boxy dynamic brake structure with two under-roof grids, two exhaust stacks instead of four, and four cooling fans grouped together instead of separated pairs of cooling fans. The F3 was also 2 feet (0.61 m) longer than the FT to allow a standard draft gear to be installed at the rear of the unit. The 567B engine was uprated to 1,500 hp (1.1 MW). Some F3s were nicknamed "chickenwire" for the type of engine room air-intake structure along the sides.
The F7 (1949) and F9 (1954) were evolutionary: the F7 had improved traction motors, the F9 a 1,750 hp (1.30 MW) 567C engine. A louver arrangement over the vents changed their appearance from the F3.
There were also 4-foot-longer (1.2 m) versions, the
Model descriptions are as built, but EMC/EMD locomotives are often rebuilt to newer standards. [2] [3]
Engine and powertrain
The F series used a 16-cylinder version of the
Passenger service
While the F-unit series was originally conceived for freight service, many were used to haul
The F units were popular passenger locomotives on mountain grades (where they were recommended by EMD), because a four-unit set had more motored axles than a trio of
Options
There were several options that could be specified by customers, such as type and mounting location of horns and bells.
Dynamic brakes
Passenger or freight pilot
Either a passenger or freight style
The freight pilot curved inward a little way below the bottom of the nose before sloping out again, to give more clearance to the coupler and hoses. The coupler was fixed and protruded through a rectangular opening in the pilot.
See also
- CF7 - A rebuild of an EMD F unit by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
References
- ^ See, e. g., Young, William S. "Covered Wagons: The Early Road Diesels of the Erie Lackawanna" (1976, Starrucca Valley Publications).
- ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7607-9679-5.
- ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
- Diesel Era (1994). The Revolutionary Diesel: EMC's FT. Halifax, PA, USA: Withers Publishing. ISBN 1-881411-02-8.
- Lamb, J. Parker (2007). Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive. Railroads Past and Present. Bloomington, Indiana: ISBN 978-0-253-34863-0.
- Marre, Louis A. (1995). Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972. Railroad Reference Series. Waukesha, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-258-2.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-0507-2.
- Solomon, Brian (2000). The American Diesel Locomotive. Osceola, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-7603-0666-6.
- Solomon, Brian (2005). EMD F-Unit Locomotives. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-192-5.
- Solomon, Brian (2006). EMD Locomotives. St. Paul, Minnesota: ISBN 978-0-7603-2396-0.
- Solomon, Brian (2010). Vintage Diesel Power. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7603-3795-0.
- Solomon, Brian (2011). Electro-Motive E-Units and F-Units: The Illustrated History of North America's Favorite Locomotives. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4007-3.
- Solomon, Brian (2012). North American Locomotives: A Railroad-by-Railroad Photohistory. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4370-8.
- Wilson, Jeff (1999). F Units: The Diesels That Did It. Golden Years of Railroading. Waukesha, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-374-9.