EMD Model F3

The F-unit roster text by Jim Sandrin, from BRHS Bulletin #4,
THE GRAYBACKS ©1982 Burlington Route Historical Society.

		The first Burlington F3's arrived in October 1947 as four-unit sets 116-121.These were delivered as Phase II F3's (F2's and Phase I F3's being identical) with high fan shrouds, high headlights and no Mars light in the nose door, large angled number boards, and two portholes with screening covering the four square vent openings between the portholes. They were also equipped with "passenger-style" straight pilots and with coupler covers.
Click on diagram to see larger size.

Sets 160 and 161 were delivered in November 1947. These were Phase II F3's also but came as three-unit A/B/A sets, like the FT/2 sets which preceded them numerically.

A third batch of Phase II F3's, also A/B/A sets, was purchased at the same time, but these were intended for passenger service on the new California Zephyr. Numbered 9960-9962, they were delivered in the passenger paint scheme of silver (aluminum paint) with black striping and lettering. They were the only F-units on the system with steam generators (in both the A- and B-units) and were the only ones lacking dynamic brakes. After they were bumped from the Zephyr in the early Fifties, they were regeared for freight service in 1955 and eventually repainted in the freight scheme. They kept their passenger numbers to the end, however.

Footnotes

4. Sold to C&S 7/60 renumbered 703

5. Equipped with nose MU air and electrical connections sometime after delivery.

6. F-3 number series 137 through 138 were broken up and renumbered in 1950 and combined with 4 F-7's to produce F-3-7 series 163 through 166. The F-3 series 137, for example, became F-3-7 163, using an F7 (later renumbered 163A) and F-3 137 (using the "A" and "B" units), and F-3-7 164, using an F-7 and F-3 137 ("C" and "D"), and so on.

7. Purchased for use on the California Zephyr. Originally painted silver passenger colors, withdrawn from passenger service in 1955. At that time, boilers removed and re-geared for freight service.

8. Modified with a square hostler window and controls added.