Athearn Genesis HO Scale: EMD F7 A/B - DCC Ready - ATSF 'Cat Whiskers'

NEW FEATURES FOR ALL F-UNITS IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT:

• All-new LED lighting

• Rubber MU hoses for durability

ATSF FEATURES:

#205L

• 36” dynamic brake fan

• Dual single-chime horns

• Kick plates

• Full skirts

• Etched mirrors

• Freight pilot

• Etched metal number plate on A-units

#212 A & B-UNIT SETS

• Etched metal number plate on A-units

• Hostler “backup” light on blind ends

• Freight units without steam generators

• 36” dynamic brake fan

• Hostler “backup” light on blind ends

• Ladder rest grabs

LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• All units are powered

• Factory installed SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound and DCC decoder (DCC+sound units only)

• DCC+Sound models are “dual mode” and will operate under both DCC and DC

• Directional constant lighting; headlight brightness remains constant

• On DCC-ready B-units, back-up lights or marker lights (if equipped) will come with LEDS, but wires will not be connected to the circuit board.

• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run

• Accurately-painted and printed paint schemes

• Separately applied photo etched metal and injection molded detail parts

• Cab interior

• Coupler cut levers

• MU hoses

• Trainline hose

• Windshield wipers

• Lift rings

• Wire grab irons

• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes, and retention tanks

• Sander lines

• Body mounted McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible

• DCC-ready Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug

• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain for trouble free operation

• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track

• LEDs for realistic appearance

• Blomberg-B trucks

• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power

• Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage

• Replacement parts available

• Minimum radius: 18”

PROTOTYPE 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.

Structurally, the locomotive was a carbody unit, with the body as the main load-bearing structure, designed like a bridge truss and covered with cosmetic panels. The so-called bulldog nose was a distinguishing feature of the locomotive’s appearance, and made a lasting impression in the mind of the traveling public.

The F-units were the most successful “first generation” road (main line) diesel locomotives in North America, and were largely responsible for superseding steam locomotives in road freight service. Before this, diesel units were mostly only built as switcher locomotives, and only used in rail yards.

F-units were sometimes known as “covered wagons”, 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 a train’s locomotive consist included only F-units, the train would then be called a wagon train. These two usages are still popular with the railfan community.