Also... as far as the F3's go....the early classes still retained their long warbonnets throughout their lives...even after the chicken wire was replaced by the stainless steel panels and vertical slit grills...but the later classes got the F7 style shorter warbonnets. The high top fans were changed-replaced in a sort of random fashion, it seems...and many got 36" dynamic brake fans to replace the slit vents... For the most part, the Kato F3's represent F3's 'as built' or 'as delivered'...not necessarily accurate for the Kato SC consist... By MY era, 1957,...the year BEFORE the SC and El Capitan ran combined....most of the later class F3 cab units looked just like the F7's...the only spotting differences were, like stated above, were cab numbers, and with a good side view, variances in the open bodywork behind the FARR vertical grills.... ..of course, by my era, the Kato observations had been modified to blunt end-style cars...I still don't know how I'm going to model that...! Bruce
As long as we are counting rivets, the Kato F3s that I have needed a second headlight (in the nose door) and I removed the steam generator detail on the roofs of the A units as only the Bs had steam generators.
The various Warbonnet "swoops" applied by the model manufactures are relatively accurate for the prototypes they were depicting. Top to bottom: E8, F7, PA, F3, FT
...and to confuse you more.... the latest Kato releases of the ATSF F3's do have the lower headlight (even 'chromed')...and don't have steam generators...these would seem to be 'fairly' accurate for '51, though the F3's were starting to get the chicken wire removed... What's interesting is that Kato merchandises them as 'El Cqpitan' motive power...they wouldn't be accurate for that era...the F3' all had stainless steel panels and grills by then... ~Bruce
