Why should MTH emulate the postwar F3? For the same reason that Williams did for its Golden Memories series: The shape is familiar, time-honored, and a proven seller. Regardless of the advancement of time, technology, and levels of detail, the venerable F3 shell is still what everyone wants.
The model
Way back in 1996, I was mildly disappointed with the original RailKing F3s (now relegated to the Rugged Rails line), not because they didn’t look nice or perform well, but because the stubby diesels seemed closer in size to S gauge than even the most liberal interpretation of O gauge.
Dimensionally, they matched the diminutive postwar Alco FA diesels. I had been expecting a “normal sized” F3, just one that was stripped down – something akin to the Williams F7.
Well, this new RailKing product is more in line with my expectations. Its height, width, and length are identical to postwar F3 diesels, which themselves are 1:48 scale models. And this new F3 is far from stripped down, since it features MTH’s ProtoSound 2.0 system with all the bells and whistles.
MTH has modeled the earliest versions of Lionel’s F3, with twin see-through portholes, handrails on the nose, and screened openings on the roof just behind the cab. Add-on parts include steps on the lead trucks, and frame ends, and below the cab doors, just like an original postwar F3.
The A-B-A set has directional headlights and illuminated interiors. The A unit cabs feature an engineer figure and two detailed control panels.
Painting and decoration are first rate. The paint job is blemish free, and the application of the UP lettering and logo on the snouts of the A units are finely accomplished.
The striping between the yellow and gray is sharp, and the red stripes even flow over the rooftop screen.
My only boggle was why MTH selected Lionel’s MPC-era model numbers – 8480, 8481, and 8482 – for this grand A-B-A locomotive set instead of a prototypical UP number. As they say, “Coincidence? I think not.”
On the test track
During conventional-control mode testing, our low-speed average was 3.85 scale mph while our high-speed average was 78.7 scale mph. Drawbar pull for the 4-pound, 41/2-ounce powered A unit was 2 pounds.
Testing in the DCS command-control mode yielded a low-speed average of just 1 scale mph. However, the diesel occasionally balked at that low speed, running more smoothly in the 2-to-5 scale mph range.
The powered locomotive is equipped with a smoke unit. There are two slots to pour fluid into, and on the inside of the shell you’ll find a trough that drops the fluid square into the smoker!
The sound system is first rate and all DCS functions, including special sound effects, worked as expected. Both the powered and dummy A units feature coil couplers. The set can be run in A-A, A-B, or A-B-A configurations; wire tethers connected the units electrically.
The new RailKing scale F3 is a “back to basics” locomotive with decidedly postwar level of detail and a dynamite sound system.
