Western Railroad Discussion > Rock Island F3 Builders Photo

A friend of mine sent this to me several days ago. Thought I would share it with you all.

Yardclerk

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Did EMD have a specific spot with which builders
photos were taken? Wonder if the had a sort of
semi-permanent camera pad, poured level so one could
just plop down the camera mounted on tripod and know
it was level, or was there a semi-permanent camera mount
set up so that when a new unit was pulled out, they just
set the camera on the mount and fired off the frames. Or
perhaps none of the above?

Great crisp photo YC - assume that was the red/black scheme?

It's a 1350 h.p. F2A, actually.

Rock Island received F2A's #38 thru 49 in July 1946. They were purchased as a result of RI's desire to be able to build three-unit freight locomotives by taking a two-unit FTA-FTB and m.u.ing an F2A to the B-unit. Burlington and Boston & Maine had the same idea.

The photo was taken at La Grange shortly after the unit was completed, and shows the as-built appearance of RI's F2's. The small number boards were later replaced by the railroad with larger angled number boards. The original red and black paint scheme would give way to various maroon schemes. And the portholes would be eliminated from most of the units over the years.

Something that always struck me about Rock Island's F2's was the position of the headlight. RI ordered it placed in the nose door, which is the usual position when a signal light is installed in the "normal" headlight casing. However, RI's F2's didn't have a signal light and the opening in the casing was plated over as shown in this photo.

The #43 had quite a long life, and was finally retired and traded-in to EMD on new GP40's in April 1970.

Hi everyone-

A slight correction pertaining to the loco type. The Rock Island never owned any F-3's; this was an F-2A. They were used as a leading or trailing unit with B-A/A-B sets of FT's, early in their careers. Very often mistaken for F-3's, they were numbered 38-49, and delivered as "A" units only, in July of 1946.

Thanks for sharing that terrific photograph......

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Thank You, that is sooooo nice !

That was a little test. Y'all did real goood!

Yardclerk

P.S. Now to nail my friend about his erroneous I.D. hehe!

And it was never that clean again!