my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

Southern Pacific
EMD F3A and F3B

delivered as SP #6100A,B,C,D - 6139A,B,C,D

80 F3A units delivered

80 F3B units delivered

SP proper received its first 'covered wagons' in May of 1947, (SSW got FT's earlier). Placed in Classes DEF-1 and DEF-2, (later DF-1 and DF-2) deliveries continued until February of 1949 when superseded by EMD's F7 model.

All were delivered in 4 unit ABBA sets painted in Black Widow paint.

Southern Pacific originally numbered F units in sets of four, with one number and an alpha suffix. F A or cab units were suffixed A and D, F B units or boosters were suffixed B and C.

Due to locomotive shortages on the Atlantic Lines (Texas and New Orleans) starting in 1949, all F3 units were sent to the Texas and New Orleans, except #6138, 6139 and #8038, 8039

In December of 1949 SP decided the alpha suffixes had to go, and so a general renumbering of all system F units took place. The F A or cab units were given 61** numbers and the F B units or boosters were placed in the 8*** series.

• The A units #6100A,D - 6139A,D were renumbered sequentially #6100 - 6179
• The B units #6100B,C - 6139B,C were renumbered sequentially #8000 - 8079

Some of these F3's came back to SP and returned to original numbers, and some were rebuilt as F9m's.

Prototype References:

• SP Historic Diesels Vol.10 by Joe Strapac - EMD Freight F Locomotives
• SP Motive Power Annual 1972 by Joe Strapac, pages 1-21 - F unit history and photo's data etc.
• SP Motive Power Annual 1978-79 by Joe Strapac - Dieselization of the T&NO
• Extra 2200 South 1976 Roster Part 1. Issue 54, Oct/Nov/Dec. 1975.
• Extra 2200 South 1976 Roster Part 6. Issue 59, Jan/Feb/Mar. 1977.
• SP Dieselization by John Bonds Garmany - Chapter 7. Freight Cabs and Road Switchers

Additional Information on this page contributed by Ray Molesworth.