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is so close to the end, it interferes with ordinary short-shank couplers and leads to cutting away part of the truck so it clears the coupler draft box. Wal- thers had gone to an even shorter cou- pler design that fits and also works around curves very well, though the appearance is not exactly prototypical. The draft gear box has curved shelves that stick out and give the shank ver- tical support. This, in turn, prevents couplers from popping apart on uneven track. They don’t appear exactly proto- typical, though they don’t cut into the truck box. Given the problems I’ve had with other couplers on F-units, I’ll take this solution with profound thanks. The windshield wipers on the A-unit look great; they are painted molded plas- tic details. The silver paint accents con- tinue with the step treads leading up to the cab. There is also a builder’s plaque at frame level just ahead of the forward cab door handrail. I appreciated the lift- ing lugs on the roof, just as I enjoyed the floating striker plate on the bellows. These actually make contact with the slack run-in, but they also flex to avoid binding on curves. The four MU (multi- unit) hoses on each side of the coupler are convincing, though they are not present on the nose of the A-unit, which is correct for this late-1950s rendition. Walthers’ B-unit is also an excellent locomotive, both as a model and as a puller. The detail work is different from the A-unit, but just as well executed. This is a Santa Fe passenger F3B, and


so it carries a steam generator. The B- end features the generator’s exhaust stack, filler, and other equipment on the roof. It sports the appropriate three portholes Santa Fe’s B-units had, and it shows the upgraded vertical slit stain- less steel grilles matching the A-unit. As with the several phases of the F3, many of the changes have taken place within the model, including very well detailed truck sideframes complete with roller bearing caps — an upgrade added by Santa Fe. Thanks to 14:1 helical gearing in the trucks, the loco- motives move quietly and with ease. This performance is enhanced by the inclusion of a SoundTraxx Tsunami Sound/DCC decoder enabling an under- 3-scale-miles-per-hour bottom speed. In terms of speeds, pull, and other func- tions, the A- and B-units work flawless- ly with each other right out of the box. Before programming road num- bers with your DCC system, you might choose to tinker with the throttle re- sponse, setting the speed curve to match your fleet of locomotives. No- tice, however, that SoundTraxx decod- ers do not offer CVs (Control Variables) 5 and 6, which control top and mid- speed. That means you’ll need to al- ter the speed curve. You can also pro- gram some degree of momentum up and down to give the passengers a nice, soft acceleration and deceleration. Both units have some default factory momen- tum, which prevents washout stops. The B-unit features the same Tsu-


nami decoder and sound system as on the A-unit. Since you can purchase the straight DC version, it is possible to buy the sound and DCC version for the F3A and the straight DC model for the B-unit and install a silent decod- er. Personally, I really like having both units with sound. The Tsunami de- coder is not overly loud, unlike some sound decoders that are just raucous! The decoder comes with its volume set at 80 percent, and the included paper- work suggests the owner set the volume control on the decoder board using a small screwdriver. If you visit www. soundtraxx.com, you can download a PDF file that gives you all the Control Variables and their possible settings. To set the master volume, program CV128 to 255; the factory setting is 206. Testing yielded a model working with a decoder factory programmed to some very good settings, so many mod- elers will be happy with it right out of the box without any revisions neces- sary to its settings. Top speed for both units is about 79 scale miles per hour. The mid-range speed for both units measured 45, and the minimum runs 2.7 for the F3A and 2.5 for the F3B. The lighting is excellent, starting with warmish-white LEDs. The head- light is in the nose door, while the light in the upper nose fairing is an oscillat- ing type. Headlights can be turned off and on with your F5 button on a DCC throttle. F6 gives control of the num- ber board lights, including the train classification lights. I like having the short toot of the horn on F3, which is by now a SoundTraxx standard feature.


90 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN


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