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Offline danmarklinman  
#1 Posted : 15 March 2015 22:00:27(UTC)
danmarklinman

United Kingdom   
Joined: 18/10/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,377
Hi can anyone show me or tell me, if F units have been used for shunting at any point. These logos had a long life and must have been used to shunt trains at the end of a branch lineConfused
Marklin and Piko era 4 SNCB , Marklin wagons
Wiking model car Fan
Faller fan including car system
Instagram: marklin1978
Wiking fan
Offline kimballthurlow  
#2 Posted : 16 March 2015 04:38:55(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,655
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Hi Dan,
I have no doubt they would have been used.
They were originally intended for use in multiple.
For shunting (switching) duties, even one of them was not ideal, because the engineman would need to lean out of his cab when running back, just to see the target train.

For that reason, EMD developed the road switcher (eg. GP7), which minimized the width of the engine cabin for backward viewing.

Double cabbed locomotives such as the EMD Nohab used in Denmark and Belgium, were quite useable for switching.
These followed or joined a European pattern of double cab diesels, and electrics.
Double cabs were not built (AFAIK) for use in the USA.
Some exceptions were main line electrics used on the Virginian, Milwaukee, and Great Northern railroads.

regards
Kimball
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
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Offline jvuye  
#3 Posted : 16 March 2015 10:03:28(UTC)
jvuye

Belgium   
Joined: 01/03/2008(UTC)
Posts: 2,881
Location: South Western France
Originally Posted by: danmarklinman Go to Quoted Post
Hi can anyone show me or tell me, if F units have been used for shunting at any point. These logos had a long life and must have been used to shunt trains at the end of a branch lineConfused


Hello Dan!
I very clearly remember watching an old F7 switching car rakes at the GM plant in Fremont California back in 1984 or 85.(That factory is the Tesla plant today.. 😉)
The engine was still wearing it's original Western Pacific black/orange livery and markings, although the company had been bought by UP a couple of years earlier.
Too bad at the time smartphones with digital cameras had still to be invented...Mellow BigGrin I
Jacques Vuye aka Dr.Eisenbahn
Once a vandal, learned to be better and had great success!
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Offline danmarklinman  
#4 Posted : 16 March 2015 14:16:03(UTC)
danmarklinman

United Kingdom   
Joined: 18/10/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,377
Originally Posted by: jvuye Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: danmarklinman Go to Quoted Post
Hi can anyone show me or tell me, if F units have been used for shunting at any point. These logos had a long life and must have been used to shunt trains at the end of a branch lineConfused


Hello Dan!
I very clearly remember watching an old F7 switching car rakes at the GM plant in Fremont California back in 1984 or 85.(That factory is the Tesla plant today.. 😉)
The engine was still wearing it's original Western Pacific black/orange livery and markings, although the company had been bought by UP a couple of years earlier.
Too bad at the time smartphones with digital cameras had still to be invented...Mellow BigGrin I


Thanks, yes what a shame. Cheers Dan
Marklin and Piko era 4 SNCB , Marklin wagons
Wiking model car Fan
Faller fan including car system
Instagram: marklin1978
Wiking fan
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Offline BrandonVA  
#5 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:13:06(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
Dan,

If you search for evidence, you may use the term "switching" instead of "shunting", as it's more common for American rail lingo. In echo of other responses, due to the fact the visibility was poor, and also the fact that the height of the EMD F unit was before radios were commonly used by US railways, they had somewhat limited switching use.

However, Jacques has provided an excellent example, there are surely more. EMD made a ton of F units, I am sure evidence could be found of further switching operations, even if it was more of an exception than a rule. Here we excel at finding the exceptions! BigGrin

Even stranger....

I have seen one of two examples of a B unit converted to radio control for industrial usage.

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/vie...php?id=461704&nseq=5

"The Clinchfield Railroad sold its F7B 852 to the Haysi Railroad Company in April 1970. Painted yellow/gold and equipped with remote control, the unit was used for many years to load coal at the tipple near its namesake community. Some 14 years later, however, its days appeared numbered. The unit survived, however, and now resides under a shed at TVRM in Chattanooga. Perhaps one day it will be restored."

See also: Haysi Railroad 1 in better days.

-Brandon
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Offline BrandonVA  
#6 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:15:49(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
Now more direclty back to topic....EMD F units (particularly F7 for these examples)....shunting and switching in the wild!

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=395847&nseq=3
"An Interstate Railroad mine run (using Southern power, since the short line's Alcos were shipped south three years earlier) do some switching at the west end of the yard at Andover. The old hoppers on the right are on the RIP track (Repair In Place). Notice the rather large white flags, denoting an "extra.""

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=369342&nseq=4#remarks
"Flying white extra flags, Interstate Extra 4262 East, the 4th Mine Run, makes a switching move while passing through the yard at Andover. Two veteran F-units---F7 4262 and F3 4172 (a.k.a. "Big Sid")--are on the point today."

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Offline BrandonVA  
#7 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:18:06(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
And now the (dreaded) Penn Central...

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=419782&nseq=2
"Penn Central F Unit 1650 has just finished switching at Marion, Indiana and now heads north towards Elkhart. "

However, these guys are cheating a little with the help of a Geep.

-Brandon
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Offline BrandonVA  
#8 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:19:47(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
A fantastic example, A-B-A switching! Hey Marklin, look, more CB&Q! BigGrin

UserPostedImage
http://www.railpictures.net/vie...61733&nseq=6#remarks

"Early F units usually came in set of 4, i.e., ABBA. The CB&Q found that for most trains on its mostly flat railroad ABA sets were sufficient so the ABBAs were broken into ABs with another newer A added. On the CB&Q an ABBA set was lettered ABCD and an ABA set was lettered ABC. In this picture we see CB&Q F7A 165A, F3B 165B, and F3A 165C. The train is the early morning "Pick Up" at Milledgeville, IL (122 miles from Chicago on the Twin Cities Line). If the train had a number, it was never used on the dispatcher's line. It could run 80 cars long. Yes it was a heck of a train to be doing local switching, but it did weekdays."

-Brandon
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Offline BrandonVA  
#9 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:22:05(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
Now we want to get a little closer to a Marklin prototype. Marklin never made SOO Line in this livery, but if you ignore that, here's a single A unit doing some switching work and pulling what is probably a fairly short mixed freight set:

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/vie...11030&nseq=9#remarks

"The days are getting shorter and shadows longer as Soo 2229B departs Trout Lake with a westbound local. Soo F's were running out their last miles during the late 70's, but were well maintained and could be trusted to go it solo if necessary. Although most crews preferred hood units, especially on trains like this one where lots of switching was involved."
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Offline BrandonVA  
#10 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:25:12(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
Two more to finish out the F7 switching:

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/vie...hp?id=196953&nseq=12

"Before heading on to St. Paul, VA and home rails this beautiful string on power does a little switching."


And a nice little Marklineque A-A setup:

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=319048&nseq=8

"Milwaukee Road F-units on a freight train, switching out cars by a farm silo at Mendota, Illinois. "

-Brandon
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Offline foumaro  
#11 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:29:16(UTC)
foumaro

Greece   
Joined: 08/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 4,420
Location: Attiki Athens Greece
The Burlington triple unit is fantastic.Just make a wish,i have allready made one.Love ThumpUp Wub
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Offline BrandonVA  
#12 Posted : 17 September 2015 15:29:20(UTC)
BrandonVA

United States   
Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,533
Location: VA
And not to belittle other F units, here's an F3 A-B unit:

UserPostedImage
Source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=495017&nseq=2

"Northern Pacific F units on the local perform switching at Whitehall, Mont. on April 10, 1970."

-Brandon
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