HO F3A/F3B Locomotives, Passenger GN F3A- #260A F3B-#260B
Pre-Order | Next Shipment July 2025
Athearn Genesis - Item No. ATHG-1628
3.7 out of 5 Customer Rating

HO F3A/F3B Locomotives, Passenger GN F3A- #260A F3B-#260B

$382.60
RC Club points earned on this item shown at checkout.

Popular great western passenger roads

Functional Mars lights with DCC equiped versions

DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector

F-Unit SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

  • Coupler cut levers
  • Windshield wipers
  • Wire grab irons
  • Lit signal lights and/or beacons, if equipped
  • Directional constant lighting
  • Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes & retention tanks
  • See-through cab windows and full cab interior
  • Body-mounted McHenry® scale knuckle couplers - Kadee® compatible
  • Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
  • Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
  • All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
  • LED Lighting for realistic appearance
  • Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage
  • Trainline and MU hoses
  • Lift rings
  • Sanding lines
  • Bell placement & type per prototype
  • Separately-applied photo-etched metal and injection molded detail parts
  • Speed recorder unless note
  • Etched metal fan grilles
  • DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
  • Accurately painted and printed paint schemes
  • All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
  • Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
  • Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
  • Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:

  • Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
  • Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
  • Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
  • All functions NMRA-compatible in DCC mode
  • Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
  • Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
  • Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality
  • Individual sound boards installed in both A and B units (sound units only)
  • Some functions are limited in DC
  • Excellent low-speed operation
  • Lighting effects such as beacons, Gyralight where prototypically accurate
  • CV chart included in the box

GN FEATURES:

  • F3 Phase II
  • As-built skirts
  • No dynamic brakes
  • Steam generators
  • Dual single-note air horns (A-units)
  • Ladder rest grabs
  • Passenger pilot (A-units)

CS FEATURES:

  • F7 Phase I
  • Passenger pilot (A-units)
  • 36” fan-equipped dynamic brakes
  • Dual and single-note air horns (A-units)
  • Upper clear Gyralight and red emergency Gyralight

DRGW FEATURES:

  • F7 Phase II
  • Freight pilot (A-units)
  • 48” fan-equipped dynamic brakes
  • Nail-type antenna on A-units
  • 3-chime air horns (A-units)
  • B-unit comes with single chime hostler/back up horn

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

EMD F-units were a line of diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario, Canada. They were sold to railroads throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Structurally, the locomotive was a carbody unit, with the body as the main load-bearing structure, designed like a bridge truss and covered with cosmetic panels. The so-called bulldog nose was a distinguishing feature of the locomotive’s appearance, and made a lasting impression in the mind of the traveling public.

The F-units were the most successful “first generation” road (main line) diesel locomotives in North America, and were largely responsible for superseding steam locomotives in road freight service. Before this, diesel units were mostly only built as switcher locomotives, and only used in rail yards.

F-units were sometimes known as “covered wagons”, due to the similarity in appearance of the roof of an F-unit to the canvas roof of a Conestoga wagon, an animal-drawn wagon used in the westward expansion of the United States during the late 18th and 19th centuries. When a train’s locomotive consist included only F-units, the train would then be called a “wagon train”. These two usages are still popular with the railfan community.

Product Specs

Full Road Name
Great Northern
Scale
HO
Wheel Configuration
B-B
Coupler Style
McHenry Scale Knuckle
Era
1941-1970,1971-1990,1991-2009,2010-Present Day
Prototype Manufacturer
EMD
Truck Style
Blomberg B
Minimum Radius
18"
Reporting Mark
GN
Sub Brand
GENESIS
Lighting
LED
Axles
4