EMD F3

EMD F3
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model F3 Build date July 1945 – February 1949 Total produced 1,111 A units, 696 B units
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Prime mover EMD 567 Engine type Two-stroke diesel Generator EMD D12
Performance figures Power output 1,500 hp (1,100 kW)

The EMD F3 was a 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW), B-B freight- and passenger-hauling diesel locomotive produced between July 1945 and February 1949 by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant. A total of 1,111 cab-equipped lead A units and 696 cabless booster B units were built.

The F3 was the third model in GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series of cab unit diesel locomotives, and it was the second most produced of the series. The F3 essentially differed from the EMD F2 in that it used the “new” D12 generator to produce more power, and from the later EMD F7 in electrical equipment. Some late-model F3s had the same D27 traction motors used in the F7, and were nicknamed F5 models.

Identification

As built, the only way to distinguish between the F2 and F3 was the nose number panels on the A units, which were small on the F2 and large on the F3 and subsequent locomotives. However, these could and were often altered by the railroad. Few F2s were built, however.

Early versions of the F3 had the "chicken wire" grilles along the top edge of the carbody. Later production featured a distinctive stamped stainless steel grille.

All F-units introduced after the FT have twin exhaust stacks and four radiator fans arranged close together atop their roofs, unlike the FT's four stacks and separated pairs of fans.

F3 phases

The identification of locomotive "phases" is a creation of railfans. EMD used no such identification. EMD kept track of the marketing name (F3) and individual locomotives' build numbers. During the production cycle of a model, EMD would make changes. To keep better track of the variations of locomotives identified the same by the manufacturer, railfans began referring to phases; critical changes to a locomotive line.

Despite not being official designations, the phase description is useful. However, many of the changes described are cosmetic, easily changed features of a locomotive; roof fans, body panels, grilles and the like could be and sometimes were updated or swapped.

The following are normally identified as F3 phases:

Phase I

Built from July 1945. High, flat-topped 36 in (914 mm) roof fans. Top third body panel had "chicken wire" in openings only. Short rear vent panel. Center-third body panel with three equally-spaced porthole windows and D17 traction motors. As-built Phase I F3 units are identical to the F2, they differ only in electrical equipment and numberboard size. Three locomotives survive from this series, rebuilt as F10s, all for Metro-North Railroad.

Phase II (early)

Built from February 1947. Top third body panel now had full-length "chicken wire". Long rear vent panel. Center third body panel now had two portholes; area between covered with chicken wire, over 4 smaller rectangular openings.

Phase II (late)

Built from December 1947. Roof radiator fans change to low, pan-topped items.

Phase III

Built from March 1948. Center third body panel now has no chicken wire between the portholes; the four rectangular openings now have louvres.

Phase IV

Built from August 1948. Chicken wire upper-third panel is replaced with full-length horizontal stainless steel grille.

"F5"

Built from October 1948 through end of F3 production in February 1949. D27 traction motors with heavier-duty cables and higher capacity traction motor blowers fitted.

Original owners

Railroad	Quantity A units	Quantity B units	Road numbers A units	Road numbers B units	Notes
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrators)	2	2	291A1, 291A2	291B1, 291B2	291A1 to Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway 100A, 291A2 wrecked, 291B1 to TP&W 100B, 291B2 to EMD 754B1, to Monon 65C
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrators)	2	—	754A1, 754A2	—	to Monon 85A,B
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrators)	1	—	951	—	to Kansas City Southern Railway (Louisiana and Arkansas Railway) 59A
Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad	2	—	200–201	—
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad	12	12	336–347	336B–347B
Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway	1	—	1501	—
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	46	46	16,C–36,C, 200,C–201,C	16A,B–36A,B 200A,B–201A,B	Passenger units Freight units
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad	8	4	500A–507A	600B–603B	A units renumbered 40–47, B units to Pennsylvania Railroad 9530B-9536B even
Boston and Maine Railroad	2	2	4227A–4228A	4227B–4228B
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	67	7	82,A–86,A, 88 (even), 113,A–171,A (odd)	82X,AX–86X,AX, 88X (even)
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	58	52	116A,D–133A,D, 137A,D–138A,D, 160A,C–162A,C, 9960A,C–9962A,C	116B,C–133B,C, 137B,C–138B,C, 160B–162B, 9960B–9962B	9960–9962 passenger units
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad	16	7	1200–1205, 1400–1409	1300–1301, 1500–1504
Chicago Great Western Railway	33	16	101–115A,C, 150–152	101B–112B, 101D–104D	150–152 passenger units
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (“Monon”)	22	5	51A,B–52A,B, 61A,B–64A,B, 81A,B–84A,B, 62B, 64A	61C–64C	81–84 passenger units
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road")	8	8	80A,D	80B,C	Renumbered
Canadian National Railway	4	2	9000, 9002, 9003, 9005	9001, 9004
Central Railroad of New Jersey	10	5	50–59	A–E
Chicago and North Western Railway	28	11	4051C–4054C, 4055A,C–4066A,C	4055B–4063B, 4065B–4066B
Clinchfield Railroad	4	3	800–803	850–852
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad	20	16	605A,C–606A,C, 621A,C, 655A–662A, 803A,C–805A,C	605B–606B, 622B, 655B–662B, 801B–805B
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad	8	8	5521/4–5561/1	5522/3–5562/3
Erie Railroad	24	17	706A,D–710A,D, 800A,D–806A,D	706B,C–710B,C, 800B–806B
Florida East Coast Railway	8	4	501–508	551–554
Georgia Railroad	1	—	1001	—
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad	32	8	800–819, 807,A–810,A, 811, 883–885	B60–B64, B80–B82
Great Northern Railway	53	24	225–231, 259A,B, 260A–261A, 262A,B–265A,B, 266A–267A, 306A,C, 350A,C–358A,C, 375C–376C, 430A,D–438A,D (even)	260B–261B, 266B–267B, 306B, 350B–358B, 430B,C–438B,C (even)	350–358 passenger units
Grand Trunk Western Railroad	22	—	9006–9027	—
Kansas City Southern Railway	12	12	30A–31A, 50A,D–54A,D	30B–31B, 50B,C–54B,C
Kansas City Southern Railway (Louisiana and Arkansas Railway)	8	8	55A,D–58A,D	55B,C–58B,C
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	2	3	2500–2501	2550–2552
Lehigh Valley Railroad	10	10	510–528 (even)	511–529 (odd)
Maine Central Railroad	8	2	671A–672A, 681–686	671B–672B
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad	14	7	201A,C–207A,C	201B–207B
Missouri Pacific Railroad	28	16	513–524, 561–576	513B–518B, 561B–570B
Missouri Pacific Railroad (International-Great Northern Railroad)	12	6	525–528, 553–560	525B–526B, 553B–556B
Missouri Pacific Railroad (St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway)	24	—	529–552	—
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway	6	—	248A,C, 348A,C, 448A,C	—
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway	9	12	800–808	900–911
Northern Pacific Railway	31	24	6011A,D–6017A,D, 6500A,C–6508A,C	6011B,C–6015B,C, 6500B,C–6506B,C	6000s freight units, 6500s passenger units, many renumbered.
New York Central Railroad	34	18	1606–1635 3500–3503	2404–2419 3600–3601	Freight units Passenger units
New York, Ontario and Western Railway	5	2	821–822, 501–503	821B–822B
Pennsylvania Railroad	80	40	9500A–9567A, 9504A–9505A, 9677A–9689A	9500B–9528B (all), 9540B–9554B (even), 9541B–9545B (odd)
Reading Company	6	6	260A–265A	260B–265B
Seaboard Air Line Railroad	11	—	4022–4032	—
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”)	18	18	5000–5017	5100–5117
Soo Line	10	—	200A,B–204A,B	—
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railway)	2	1	2200A,B	2200C
Southern Railway	79	65	4128–4206	4320–4384
Southern Railway (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway)	8	4	6106–6113	6153–6159
Southern Railway (Alabama Great Southern Railroad)	12	6	6702–6713	6750–6755
Southern Railway (New Orleans and North Eastern Railway)	3	1	6804–6806	6829
Southern Pacific Company	80	80	6100A,D–6139A,D	6100B,C–6139B,C
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway	3	—	800A1, 800A2, 802	—	Renumbered 800–801. 801-802 to BN 9750,9752
Union Pacific Railroad	89	66	905–910, 964A–968A, 1400A–1441A, 1442–1463, 1550–1563	905B,C–909B,C (odd), 969B–978B, 1442B–1471B, 1442B,C–1458B,C (even), 1430B,C
Western Railway of Alabama	1	—	501	—
Western Maryland Railway	2	—	51–52	—
Western Pacific Railroad	3	6	801A–803A	801B,C–803B,C
Totals	1113	672

Surviving F3 locomotives

A Metro-North F10 that was formerly an F3 (originally GM&O and later an Illinois Central #880A) in Bridgeport, CT operates for Metro-North Railroad in 2005. This locomotive also ran for the MBTA.

Eleven F3s survive today at a variety of museums; nine are A units, while two are B units. Metro-North Railroad still had three F10 units in service, which are rebuilt F3s, before the BL20GHs took over. Lately, with the leasing of P40s from Amtrak, the usage of these units in revenue runs has declined. Those went to the Shore Line East when the BL20GHs took over. These units come from a group built for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio and rebuilt by the Illinois Central to F10 status for the MBTA - originally Metro North acquired four of the units, but one was acquired by the Adirondack Scenic Railway for service out of Utica NY. Very few of the surviving F3 units remain unmodified from their original appearance and specifications.

The Alberta Railway Museum in Edmonton, Alberta signature piece is operational Canadian National F3 #9000. #9000 was the first road freight locomotive ordered for a Canadian Railway, and one of the only six F3's to be owned by a Canadian Railway. #9000 was built in 1948 and was part of an order for six locomotives (two A-B-A sets).

The Tri-State RHS in Morristown, NJ owns former Bangor and Aroostook (BAR) 44. The unit became CNJ 57 in 1985 and is now being restored as DLW 663. The Anthracite RHS also owns BAR 46, (CNJ 56) and is now painted as DLW 664. The engines are currently stored at Steamtown NHS in Scranton, PA and plans are underway to have the pair of A's pulling excursions by September 2010. Anthracite RHS also owns a former Boston & Maine B-unt (4268B), but it needs new wheels. It too is currently located in Scranton.

The Maine, Montreal & Atlantic, the corporate successor to the BAR, still owns #42, which was renumbered back to its original number, 502, when it was repainted into the original gray and yellow scheme.

In popular culture

The main protagonist of the children's television show, Chuggington, Wilson, is based on an EMD F3 power car.

References

• Furhman, Jim. EMD F2-F3-F5 Phase Chart. Retrieved January 2, 2005.