InterMountain - 69812-02 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD F3 - Northern Pacific - 6503B

Model Information: InterMountain introduced this model in 2005, and have since followed up with several subsequent runs. The model shares the same chassis as Intermountain's F7s. The PC board was re-designed in 2014 with motor contact "shoes" replaced by wires.

In December 2014, a new run of several road numbers was announced which introduced new factory DCC-equipped versions, sound and non-sound. These models come with a brand new design that incurred significant delays. First batch is expected to be delivered mid-2017.

These locos sport all of the niceties one normally associates with "modern" diesel models, e.g. - split-frame DCC-Ready metal chassis, dual-flywheels, low-friction drive, plastic truck assemblies, plastic gearing, blackened wheels, all-wheel drive / pick-up (no traction tires). The motor is an open-sided 5-poler. Directional lighting on A units is controlled by a PC board mounted on top of the chassis, and with the LED headlight mounted on the front of the chassis (with wires running between the two).

DCC Information:
Models released up to 2014: These locos are qualified as "DCC-Friendly" and not "Ready" because installing after-market decoders requires de-soldering and re-soldering a few wires. Not too complex, but you'll need a soldering iron...
- For locos released before 2014: front light of A units needs to be re-soldered to the decoder board.
- For locos released after 2014: in addition to the front light, the motor contacts are performed by two wires that need to be re-soldered to the decoder board.

Accepts the following decoders (non-sound):
- Digitrax DN163I1C: 1.5 Amp N Scale Mobile Decoder for Intermountain F3 / F7 Units. (discontinued)
- Digitrax DN166I1C: 1.5 Amp Decoder for Intermountain N scale F3 and F7 A & B units with motor contact "shoes".
- Digitrax DN166I1D: 1.5 Amp Decoder for InterMountain N Scale F7A & B units with wired motors produced after Jan 2014.
- TCS IMF4: 4 Function Decoder for Intermountain F3A/B, F7A/B and F9B N-Scale locomotives. (Installation for Intermountain F3A)
- TCS IMF4-NF: 4 Function Decoder for Intermountain F3A/B, F7A/B and F9B N-Scale locomotives produced after Jan 2014. (Installation for Intermountain F7A)

Models released as of 2017: this model is proposed factory-equipped with either a non-sound DCC decoder (models suffixed by "D") or a sound DCC decoder (models suffixed by "S"), both from ESU - LokSound Select Micro or LokPilot Micro.

Prototype History: The EMD F3 was a 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW) B-B freight- and passenger-hauling diesel locomotive produced between July 1945 and February 1949 by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant. A total of 1,111 cab-equipped lead A units and 696 cabless booster B units were built.

The F3 was the third model in GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series of cab unit diesel locomotives, and it was the second most produced of the series. The F3 essentially differed from the EMD F2 in that it used the “new” D12 generator to produce more power, and from the later EMD F7 in electrical equipment. Some late-model F3's had the same D27 traction motors, along with the heavier-duty electrical cables, used in the F7, and were referred to as model F5 by EMD's Engineering Department.

From Wikipedia
Read more on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly 40 million acres (160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on Sept. 8, 1883.

The railroad had about 6800 miles of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. In addition the company had an international branch to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land.

The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It had a tumultuous financial history, and in 1970 it merged with other lines to form the Burlington Northern Railroad.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: InterMountain was founded in 1985 by Fred Brummet. They got started in the model railroad business by producing O-Scale model kits. They got started in the N Scale business almost a decade later when in 1994 they introduced the 40-23 reefer car in kit form. Later, in 1998, they started producing RTR (Ready-to-Run) models. By the early 2000s, InterMountain phased out kit production in favor of the RTR models.

The InterMountain Railway company is located at 1224 Boston Ave in Longmont, CO. They are a manufacturer of HO, N and Z scale model trains. They have produced kits as well as RTR (Ready-To-Run) models. Their N Scale products include locomotives as well as rolling stock. Their rolling stock lineup includes Boxcars, Hoppers, Tank Cars, Reefers, Gondolas, Stock Cars and Flatcars.

Their locomotive releases have primarily been diesel units, with the one major exception being their series of AC-12 Cab Forward steam locos. Their diesel lineup includes F3's, F7's, F9's, SD40's, SD45's and FT units. They are known for quality and detail. They also release their rolling stock in larger varieties of road numbers than most of the other manufacturers.