InterMountain - 69118-04 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD F3 - Pennsylvania - 9521

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 Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR) was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. for the first half of the twentieth century. Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies. At the end of 1925, it operated 10,515 miles of rail line; in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific or Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of PRR's ton-miles.

At one time, the PRR was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, with a budget larger than that of the U.S. government and a workforce of about 250,000 people. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row.

In 1968, PRR merged with rival NYC to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which filed for bankruptcy within two years. The viable parts were transferred in 1976 to Conrail, which was itself broken up in 1999, with 58 percent of the system going to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), including nearly all of the former PRR. Amtrak received the electrified segment east of Harrisburg.

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.