Athearn Genesis HO G19584 F5A/F5B Set, Pennsylvania Railroad #9551A/9551B

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.

PRR FEATURES:
Dynamic brakes
Nose & rear lift lugs
Dual single-note air horns (A-units)
Back-up lights
Train Phone Antennas (A-units)
Passenger pilot (A-units)

The Pennsylvania Railroad was responsible for buying a full 8% of EMD's domestic F3 production. The units represented within this release were built in late 1948 and early 1949.

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
#9531A
F3 Phase IV
Mixed wheel bearing caps from traded-in units

#9548B/9551A/9551B "F5" (Externally identical to F3 Phase IV but prototypes equipped with heavier D27 traction motors. Many F3s were later modified with these motors) Mixed wheel bearing caps from traded-in units

F-UNIT SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
Coupler cut levers
Trainline and MU hoses
Windshield wipers
Lift rings
Wire grab irons
Sanding lines
Lit signal lights and/or beacons, if equipped
Bell placement & type per prototype
Directional constant lighting
Headlight brightness remains constant
Separately-applied photo-etched metal and injection molded detail parts
Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes & retention tanks
Speed recorder unless noted
See-through cab windows and full cab interior
Etched metal fan grilles
Body-mounted McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible
Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
Accurately painted and printed paint schemes
Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
LED Lighting for realistic appearance
Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
Minimum radius: 18" - Recommended radius: 22"
DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector