ATH1070UK Santa Fe F7 Warbonnet Train Set
For more than 60 years, the name Athearn has become synonymous with top quality, authentic looking model trains and train sets. The locomotives, carriages and wagons feature highly accurate and extensive detail features that model railway enthusiasts have come to expect from this leading brand. Even the smallest details are recreated in miniature and it is this attention to detail that sets Athearn apart!
The EMD F7 Santa Fe set is the perfect product for anyone looking to get into the high scale world of classic American model railroading. This set comes with everything needed to get started including a 45 inch by 36inch oval layout of E-Z Track, the locomotive, wagons and a fully variable speed controller that allows for realistic operation at scale speeds and smooth braking.
The locomotive with its striking “War Bonnet” colour scheme features extensive detail and come fully assembled ready for use with pre- installed wire grab irons and Celcon handrails. Super smooth drive train with machined RP25 profile metal wheels and McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers are installed for easy hook up of rolling stock. Loco, carriages and wagons also feature superbly moulded bodies with flush windows and accurately painted company logos and nomenclature.
The track that comes with the set is the unique EZ track and it couldn’t
be easier to put together. With the molded track bed on which the track
is mounted, it makes what would normally be a tricky and fiddly job much
simpler as the bed helps to line up the fishplates. As well as easing
the building of the track, the raised rails on the track bed keeps the
locomotive away from picking up dirt and fluff that can be found on floors
and carpets which can often lead to poor running.
The nickel silver track ensures that the power flows efficiently to the
locomotive as well as providing a smooth surface for the locomotives wheels
to run on reducing the risk of accidental derailments!
The locos and rolling stock are modeled in HO gauge, however they can easily be used on existing OO gauge track but the scale of the trains are slightly bigger than their OO gauge counterparts.
Classic American style, superb detail and ease of use, what more could you want from a railway set?
Features
- Packaging acts as storage when set is not in use
- F7 locomotive with handrails installed
- Three freight cars with a matching caboose
- 36" x 45" oval of Bachmann E-Z Track with gray roadbed
- Box measures approximately: 13"W x 5"D x 18"H
- Includes power supply and easy to use speed control
- Set includes everything you need to get started
About the Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859. Although the railway was named in part for the capital of New Mexico, its main line never reached there as the terrain made it too difficult to lay the necessary tracks (Santa Fe was ultimately served by a branch line from Lamy, New Mexico). The Santa Fe's first tracks reached the Kansas/Colorado state line in 1873, and connected to Pueblo, Colorado in 1876. In order to help fuel the railroad's profitability, the Santa Fe set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that the railroad was awarded by Congress; these new farms would create a demand for transportation (both freight and passenger service) that was offered by the Santa Fe.
Ever the innovator, Santa Fe was one of the pioneers in intermodal freight service, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline, the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway. A bus line allowed the company to extend passenger transportation service to areas not accessible by rail, and ferry boats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travellers to complete their westward journeys all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996 when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.
About the Locomotive
The EMD F7 was a 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). It succeeded the F3 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the F9. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant or GMD's London, Ontario facility. Although originally promoted as a freight-hauling unit by EMD, the F7 was also used in passenger service hauling such trains as the Santa Fe's Super Chief and El Capitan. The F7 replaced the F3, differing primarily in internal equipment (mostly electrical) and some external features. The F7 was eventually succeeded by the more powerful but mechanically similar F9.
