my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Texas and New Orleans F3A/F3B

A units 300 - 337
B units 500 - 525

38 F3A units transferred

26 F3B units transferred

2nd #502 F3B from SP class DF-2 later rebuilt to an F9Bm

#325, 537, 505 and 339 at El Paso, Texas.

These were ordered with 62:15 gearsets, giving a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour, and a mimimum speed of 15 mph. At the time 15 mph was faster than the speed of the steam engines used in helper service. As these were ordered for use north and east of Los Angeles, and this was helper territory, it was discovered that they could not be used to their full capacity.

Due to locomotive shortages, and the flatter (and therefore faster track profile on the Atlantic Lines - Texas and New Orleans), the Texas and New Orleans received F3A's and F3B's from parent SP in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

In December 1952, 12 F3B units went back to SP, and were renumbered to their original SP numbers. In their place, SP sent 12 F7B's, these were renumbered the same series.

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

see the SP F3A/B info page for Reference and Model Listings