EMD F7 in SCALE
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:58 pm
EMD F7 in SCALE
————————————————
This topic will chronicle some of my experiences in bringing a 1.6 inch scale EMD F7 Diesel-Electric locomotive from a whole lot of thoughts, sketches and drawings to the state of being a running model. This project has taken me far longer than expected—I've built considerably more complicated stuff in a fraction of the time, but I am making progress. The reasons for the slow progress are several and will be mentioned further on.
What set this project in motion was a visit to the Illinois Live Steamers (ILS) in the early 1990s and getting a good look at what large-scale railroading was all about. I've never had a lot of interest in table-top modeling and my years working in surface transportation on, around, under and in trains had given me the desire to own something that I could ride. About a decade after that first visit, I decided to join the ILS. After finishing my probationary period, I started planning on acquiring a locomotive and some cars. I'm not real keen on buying ready-to-run stuff when I can build it myself, so that was the plan with the locomotive.
The choice of the F7 had to do with it being the very first locomotive I had ever set foot on and rode in—I was six years old at the time, and F7s were brand new in those days. As luck would have it, one of my relatives, who was an engineer for the Canadian National, was good buddies with someone who knew someone who arranged for me to tag along with a hostler as he shuffled units between the engine house and the yard. I got to ride in the cab and was taken on a tour of the engine room (that 16 cylinder Diesel looked positively gigantic to a six year boy). That experience cemented the F7 as “the one” in my young mind.
The F7, of course, has an illustrious history and was the motive power for a lot of fast varnish in the 1950s—all the more reason to build it. So my plan was to build a passenger engine. Choosing the road to model took some thought but I finally settled on the Chicago & Northwestern, specifically C&NW No. 401, and I would attempt to model its early 1950s appearance as closely as I could. I'm no rivet-counter but I also didn't want the thing looking like tinplate.
I should note that at one point, I did give some consideration to building steam. However, I ended up setting aside that idea. I was afraid that if I embarked on a steam project I'd probably be pushing daisies before I lit the first fire in the boiler. Ironically, that concern almost came to pass with the F7 project.
Anyhow, the goals for my F7 were simple:
There are also secondary goals, such as reasonably authentic lighting, air brakes, various noises and such, all of which would demand quite a bit of attention. Describing the processes that have gone into modeling the F7 in performance, as well as appearance, will take a few more posts.
————————————————
This topic will chronicle some of my experiences in bringing a 1.6 inch scale EMD F7 Diesel-Electric locomotive from a whole lot of thoughts, sketches and drawings to the state of being a running model. This project has taken me far longer than expected—I've built considerably more complicated stuff in a fraction of the time, but I am making progress. The reasons for the slow progress are several and will be mentioned further on.
What set this project in motion was a visit to the Illinois Live Steamers (ILS) in the early 1990s and getting a good look at what large-scale railroading was all about. I've never had a lot of interest in table-top modeling and my years working in surface transportation on, around, under and in trains had given me the desire to own something that I could ride. About a decade after that first visit, I decided to join the ILS. After finishing my probationary period, I started planning on acquiring a locomotive and some cars. I'm not real keen on buying ready-to-run stuff when I can build it myself, so that was the plan with the locomotive.
The choice of the F7 had to do with it being the very first locomotive I had ever set foot on and rode in—I was six years old at the time, and F7s were brand new in those days. As luck would have it, one of my relatives, who was an engineer for the Canadian National, was good buddies with someone who knew someone who arranged for me to tag along with a hostler as he shuffled units between the engine house and the yard. I got to ride in the cab and was taken on a tour of the engine room (that 16 cylinder Diesel looked positively gigantic to a six year boy). That experience cemented the F7 as “the one” in my young mind.
The F7, of course, has an illustrious history and was the motive power for a lot of fast varnish in the 1950s—all the more reason to build it. So my plan was to build a passenger engine. Choosing the road to model took some thought but I finally settled on the Chicago & Northwestern, specifically C&NW No. 401, and I would attempt to model its early 1950s appearance as closely as I could. I'm no rivet-counter but I also didn't want the thing looking like tinplate.
I should note that at one point, I did give some consideration to building steam. However, I ended up setting aside that idea. I was afraid that if I embarked on a steam project I'd probably be pushing daisies before I lit the first fire in the boiler. Ironically, that concern almost came to pass with the F7 project.
Anyhow, the goals for my F7 were simple:
- Reasonably accurate appearance. While I wasn't planning on counting rivets and bolts, I did want to have an exterior appearance that would give the illusion of the prototype as it might appear to a nearby mouse or gopher.
- Speed and tractive force commensurate with a scale passenger locomotive. In passenger gearing, the F7 was capable of a top speed of 102 MPH, and could develop about 52,000 pounds of starting tractive force, corresponding to approximately 13.6 MPH and 123 pounds tractive force in the model.
- Control response similar to the prototype. The real F-unit was electromechnically controlled, with the traction motor contactors pneumatically operated, and use of magamps and other period controls. I was hoping to achieve something that would behave somewhat as though it was controlled in the same fashion.
There are also secondary goals, such as reasonably authentic lighting, air brakes, various noises and such, all of which would demand quite a bit of attention. Describing the processes that have gone into modeling the F7 in performance, as well as appearance, will take a few more posts.