HO Scale Modern Mid-Range F Units - The Ultimate Comparison!

[@donaldlamendola8294]

The comparisons were on point and I enjoyed watching all the trains run. I'M convinced Darth, you should consider writing your own book. Thank you!

[@justinporter6236]

Excellent timing particularly as Bowser has JUST announced a newly tooled F-unit of their own with MSRP on the DCC-ready examples being $199.95

[@DarthSantaFe]

Interesting! The shells in the photos look like the old Stewart ones to me, so I wonder how much of it is actually new?

[@justinporter6236]

@@DarthSantaFe it's hard to say given that Bowser doesn't say much about whether we're looking at mock-ups or pre-production samples or which but they're very exciting to see. Despite being primarily an NKP fan, I'm honestly heavily considering one of the yellow nose Santa Fe's to go with my childhood blue box F.

[@RocketStephen618]

Having finally had the time to finish this, I've got to say: This was incredibly enjoyable! Your content is already my favorite, so having this much new to see was a blast. I got my first Stewart & Proto engines for Christmas & My birthday this December and I've been incredibly impressed. I've been considering a Roundhouse F7, and this may be the final push! Wonderful review and I cannot wait for what's in store this year. Happy New Year!

[@fallingup90]

This is a great, comprehensive comparison! I have 2 very different F-Units; Athearn Genesis and Model Power. Hard to believe the chunky F7 has lighted number boards while the Genesis model, released in 2020 with Tsunami 2, does not!

[@DGHodgson-o8z]

Hi Darth, excellent in-depth review, but my goodness that was epic.

[@hotdogpilot6319]

Excellent comparison and tear downs, just what the Doctor ordered...Happy New Year.

[@JerseyBill-x9r]

WOW! This must have taken you a couple of weeks to put together so hats off to you. I agree with everything accept value for money because Bachmann and Life Like are the prod owners of the split gear award and in third place would be Hornby. I do not by Bachmann to this day because of it unless the odd one is in a lot. Again, I have to prays your thoroughness in this entertaining comparison. Thanks for the great work and have a wonderful New Year, Jersey Bill

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@JerseyBill-x9r Thanks! I think everyone’s had a different experience with certain brands. For me, Athearn’s been about the worst for split gears until around the 90’s when they got the plastic shrinkage figured out. Bachmann also finally got that mostly fixed for their diesels in the mid-2000’s, so those have been pretty dependable for me. But again, we all get a different experience.

[@kingfordism]

That was awesome comparison. Glad to see Stewart came out on top I have 4 ABA sets of them running on my railroad. Best power/detail/for buck in my opinion. I started using a pull scale from micro mark to test engines against one another. It’s just a reinvention of the fish scale my dad used to use. That would have been a good test to add to yours for performance. If they can’t pull a good amount of cars up a minimal grade then they are useless.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@kingfordism Thanks! I tried to find one of those a while back, but it looks like they’re not selling them anymore. Other pull gauges that show less than 6oz were too expensive, so I just figured out a way to use my postal scale instead.

[@ACLTony]

Darth it is long, but your listing the chapters above is helpful. Well presented with good information!

[@a2020vision_official]

Very thorough and in-depth comparison, thanks! It is quite interesting to see how different companies facing basically the same design problem (big picture, at least) continue to arrive at quite different solutions; while at the same time, having seen some historical drive trains, it's interesting to see that the "central motor with drive shafts to gear towers in each truck" overall approach at least has been widely converged upon. Also interesting to see the impact the long-lasting Athearn blue box design has had on several other manufacturers' design choices as well. I guess some of the differences are going to be attributable to different priorities and preferences at each of the manufacturers / designers. I see the same thing when I look at different manufacturer's versions of the machines I engineer.

[@w.rustylane5650]

My favorite new (to me) engine is the MRC F-7A & F-7B. I now have about 4 in my collection and they run like silk. I thought MRC (Model Rectifier Corporation) only made controllers. I think their line of F-7's came in around 1999. They feature 5 pole skewed armature in a can motor with 2 brass flywheels, cab interior with light, see through Farr grilles, all grab irons installed except for the eyebrows and front sill and are DCC ready with an isolated motor and front and rear trucks pick up power and both sets have negative wires attached. Nice little circuit board on top. I got these for around $55.00/each including the shipping. With one model I even got the MRC Platinum Pin. When new they all had the pin. They are all in like new condition. All already had Kadee couplers except for one. Happy New Year & cheers from eastern TN

[@DarthSantaFe]

Even if they didn't score the highest in my comparison, they are nice units for the price! The etched grills do add a lot to their appearance.

[@termitevomit]

MRC,also,offered,a,Alco,C420.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@termitevomit Yes, but those were made for them by Lima/Rivarossi. As far as I know, the F7 is the only one they developed themselves.

[@EricSmith-ve7qi]

Well Done Sir! Loved the video!

[@officialpennsyjoe]

The Stewart Models F units are legendary for their reliability. The downside is that you will have to mill the frame to fit modern electronics.

[@Jeremiaha284]

Before you began, I'd have picked Stewart hands down for quality and value. Glad to see my decision confirmed.

[@markmugnai5584]

Great video, thanks for doing it! The only "push back" I might offer is regarding the Proto 1000 units; sure, it's a drag that those axle gears usually split, but since the fix is well known and easy to do, I would have rated their over-all quality a little higher since, once the repair is made, these run as well as any brand (in my opinion). Plus, their version in the Santa Fe freight scheme is REALLY nice looking. 🙂 🙂

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@markmugnai5584 Thanks! I almost did rate the Proto gears higher, but since the rating was for the original gears, I wanted to make sure it was clear that those likely wouldn’t last due to the common splitting issue and would eventually need replacement. Simple as the fix is, I’ve found that there are some who would rather not deal with it.

[@kurtstrains]

Great test, you might also consider how many road names they are available in and if a B unit is made.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Thanks! That is another consideration, but then the video would be 6 hours long. :)

[@gacj2010]

I do love these engines ....right out of the fifties...

[@shnorth888]

One noticeable issue with the Model Power Canadian Pacific F7 is the lower light in the nose door. CP's F unites never had the lower headlight in the nose door. I noticed Model Power got lazy and stuck the CP beaver sheild logo partiality on over the lower light.

[@thomasryan9639]

Also have two Athearn Genesis f-3 models, but the first one "lost" a horn while taking it out of the box. The foam was not cut where the horns were, but they corrected this on the next series.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Athearn did have to make some improvements early on with those Genesis models. Ever since then, they've been hard to beat!

[@randallellison6421]

​@DarthSantaFe I've always found the Genesis models post switch over to Soundtraxx to be the their best models! It was around that time they really got a handle on their drivetrains across the board!

[@thomasryan9639]

I have a proto 1000 f-3 iin the New York Central scheme and it looks and runs great!

[@eanferrell]

This must be one of your longest presentations. I appreciate your diligence. I'm somewhat surprised the MTH didn't score as high as the Athearn; the price one pays for an MTH, you'd expect quality. Not so surprised with Bachmann Plus; garbage, and even the flywheels looked rubbish. My only qualm with the video was its length: I couldn't watch the entire thing in one sitting. It would have better served to break it up into three separate videos, Part 1 being the Introduction, Packaging and Details; Part 2 Features and Quality; Part 3 Performance and Final Score and Value. Nevertheless, bravo. Keep 'em coming.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@eanferrell Thanks! If I realized how long it was going to turn out, I would have filmed it as a multi-part video. The shell may not be so good on the Plus F7, but the chassis was still a good runner overall. A little buffing will take the tarnish off the flywheels.

[@thomasryan9639]

Walthers is coming out with a new f-7 model, which I have on order. They took over Life-like products, which were very well made, so it should be a nice model.

[@ethanspaziani1070]

Very nice

[@giuseppe4909]

Now if we could have something like this in N scale…. 👍

[@raymondleggs5508]

Ancient model power instruction sheet

[@Mauscmkwk]

What about e units

[@DarthSantaFe]

That'll be a separate video if it ever happens.

[@MidwestTractionModeler]

You honestly can't go wrong with proto 2k. There is the gear issue, but I've been swapping with the athearn replacement on all of them. Easy to upgrade to DCC, LEDS, and sound. I also use a close coupler kit on them. If you look hard enough, you can find deals on them. I've got two undecorated E6s that will have sound and DCC. Paid like $55 a piece last year at a swap meet. They will be Chicago and Northwestern, but they changed the side windows, and there are different roof details that were done before the era I model (1948-1958.) I would like to get one of two more and make the minor changes to make them E3s. I've also tinkered with the idea to make a CB&Q E5, but I have other modeling priorities.

[@c.bmalhotra1530]

I have with me Thearn F7 Union Pacific locomotive. Smooth runner. I am into Model trains. HO and G scale. I am from Chennai India