World War II had called for locomotive manufacturers to adhere to production guidelines as set by the War Production Board. With the war's end in 1945, EMD, like other major competitors, worked hard to meet industry demand after four years of restricted supply. In the freight cab market, EMD released their F-series. The F-3 headlined the series, debuting in the summer of 1945, a few months before the official end of the war. The F-3 emerged with a new generator that supplied both direct and alternating current, an important upgrade for EMD's initial F-unit design. Because of the addition of the dual generator, AC-powered fans and blowers could be operated electrically, boosting the locomotives' ability to stay in top form. The 1,500-h.p. rated F-3, with its bulldog nose and dual capabilities set a standard in railroading. In test runs, No. 291, a demonstrator unit, logged over 125,000 miles in sixteen months pulling freight and passenger loads. Railroads were impressed with the tests and hundreds of advanced orders for the F-3s poured in. Santa Fe and RailKing Scale fans will no doubt want to order this stellar replica of model railroading's most famous F-3 diesel model - right down to a die-cast metal chassis - dressed in the stunning colors of Santa Fe's Warbonnet livery. Packaged with a beautifully decorated 4-car set of 60' streamlined passenger cars, the Santa Fe El Capitan set faithfully recreates the bulldog tenacity of the prototype in 1:48 scale proportions. Did You Know? Between 1945 and 1949, EMD produced 1807 F-3 units for U.S. and Canadian railroads.
