Burlington Northern

Burlington Northern (BN) inherited and operated a significant fleet of EMD F-units from predecessor railroads (NP, GN, and CB&Q) after its formation in 1970, often using them in mixed freight service.

BN FEATURES:

• 48” diameter dynamic brake fan
• Low 36” diameter radiator fans
• Vertical (Farr) side grilles
• Backup Lights
• Skirting per prototype
• Nose grabs per prototype (A Units only)
• Nose MU Door (A Units only)
• Winterization hatch
• Cab sunshades (A Units only)
• Nose door headlight (A units only)
• Nathan 3-chime horn (A units only)
• Cooling coil
• Nail antenna (A Units only)

 

Conrail

Conrail’s F-units were inherited from predecessor railroads in 1976. The bulk came from Penn Central (former NYC, PRR) and Erie Lackawanna. Two Rio Grande (DRGW) F7A/B units, purchased by PC for trade-ins, also served the railroad.

CR FEATURES:

• Low 36” diameter radiator fans
• Skirting per prototype
• Nose grabs per prototype (A Units only)
• Cab vent (A Units only)

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #1888 Ex-Erie Lackawanna unit with slotted dynamic brake grilles, horizontal side grilles, backup lights, single MU receptacle on nose, spark arrestors, Leslie Typhon A-200 horns, firecracker antenna
• #1878 Ex-Penn Central, former DRGW unit with 48” diameter dynamic brake fan, vertical (Farr) side grilles, dual MU receptacle on nose, nose door headlight, Leslie Typhon A-200 Horn, nail antenna
• #1879 Ex-Penn Central, former DRGW unit with 48” diameter dynamic brake fan, vertical (Farr) side grilles, dual MU receptacle on nose, nose door headlight, Nathan 3-chime horn, Sinclair antenna
• #3872 Ex-Penn Central, former DRGW unit with 48” diameter dynamic brake fan, vertical (Farr) side grilles

 

 

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

EMD F-units were a line of diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario, Canada. They were sold to railroads throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The EMD FP7 was a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW), B-B passenger-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD’s La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for Canada, in which case final assembly was at GMD’s plant in London, Ontario. The locomotive contained an auxiliary water tank and steam generator to supply steam heat to the trailing passenger cars. This necessitated a longer body and frame. Although intended for passenger service, these locomotive still were regularly assigned into freight locomotive pools as well.

 

F-Unit SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Coupler cut levers
• Windshield wipers
• Wire grab irons
• Trainline and MU hoses
• Lift rings
• Sanding lines
• Cab Interior
• Lit signal lights and/or beacons, if equipped
• Bell placement & type per prototype
• Detailed Blomberg-B trucks with prototype-specific wheel bearings
• Directional constant lighting
• Headlight brightness remains constant
• Separately-applied photo-etched metal and injection molded detail parts
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes & retention tanks
• Speed recorder unless noted
• See-through cab windows and full cab interior
• Etched metal fan grilles
• Body-mounted McHenry scale knuckle couplers – Kadee compatible
• DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
• Accurately painted and printed paint schemes
• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• LED Lighting for realistic appearance
• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
• Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage
• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
• Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality
• Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
• Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
• All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
• Precision slow speed control
• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
• Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
• CV chart included in the box

 

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment
• Faded base colors matched to the prototype
• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

 

 

Order Due Date: April 24, 2026

Anticipated Delivery Date: August 2027

 

Looking for more Athearn EMD (Electro-Motive Division) F-Unit Series Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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