Märklin EMD F7 - HAmobahn

ATSF 309L (F7A) with Train #23, The Grand Canyon, in siding at Springer, NM waiting for York Canyon Coal Unit Train, August 19, 1967. A Roger Puta Photograph.

EMD F7

The EMD F7 is a model of 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW) diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD).

Although originally promoted by EMD as a freight-hauling unit, the F7 was also used in passenger service hauling trains such as the Santa Fe Railway's high-speed flagship trains, the Super Chief, & El Capitan, and the Ontario Northland's Northlander.

The F7 was the fourth model in GM-EMD's successful line of F-unit locomotives, and by far the best-selling cab unit of all time.

Wikipedia F7: english, deutsch

Wikipedia F-unit: english

Wikipedia F-Serie: deutsch

Märklin EMD F7

The Märklin F7 can be best described as an interpretation of the original EMD F7. The body is too long. The trucks are too close together, and the axles are too far away. The Märklin F7 looks weird compared to a scale model such as the AZL F3/F7.

The engines are equipped with a 3-pole or 5-pole motor.

Digitalizing

The engines were digitalized with the Velmo decoder: LDS26306-U, USA EMD F7.

Here is the Velmo installation manual in German: LDS26306-U

YouTube video: Velmo F7 Lokdecoder

According to the Vellmo manual you simply put the decoder onto the chassis and screw it in. In my hands it did not work, the contact strips would not touch the wires of the capacitor. And therefore the motor did not run.

I had to bend down the contact strips so that they could touch either the wires of the capacitor or the wires of the motor. It was tedious and cumbersome, but at the end the contact strips and the wires gave contact.

Maybe there is a better way to install the decoder, but at least it is working now!

The two pins have to be shortened to be able to put the body back to the chassis.

The functions are programmed by default as follows:

F0 Lower light: Red or white depending on the direction

F1 Boardlight

F2 Upper light: Gyrolight

F2 + F3 Upper light: Flashlight

F3 Upper light: Marslight

F4 Switching mode

F5 Lower light: Dim or turn up

(Instruction manual: Programming / Konfiguration of the Märklin EMD F7,

page 20, in German)

Left: Head engine Right: Rear engine

Short Coupling

The two engines can be short coupled for better appearance by pushing the couplers together. They easily negotiate the Märklin radius 220 mm.

In principle, it is also possible to short couple the corresponding passenger cars. But, they need a larger radius. There is too much friction with the 220 mm radius!