According to the Ghost Depot roster, DRGW 5561-5564 were F5's. Does anyone have links to photos of these? I'm curious if they had F7 innards and F3 bodies or F3 innards and F7 bodies. Or did they look different completely. ATSF's last F3's looked like F7's but have never been referred to as F5s so I'm curious if the DRGW units looked different from other units.
I think the biggest difference was in the dynamic brakes. The F5s had the slits like the F3s and the F7s had the 36" fan when they were first built. Much of the "F5" difference is internal. New D27 traction motors, new traction motor cabling and increased cooling air for the traction motors. There is not more than a dimes difference between an F5 and an F7.
This might clear it up... Straight from page 85 of Joseph A. Strapac's Rio Grande Diesels, Vol 1: "...But before there could be prodution-line F7's with a choice of automatic or manual transition and D-27 traction motors and higher capcity dynamic braking, there was the F5. This ephemeral model designation was used informally at EMD to describe those late F3 units delivered with D-27 traction motors and full wheelslip protection above the transition point of about 25 MPH (something a 'true' F3 didn't have).":lightbulb:
So authors disagree. IS that a shock.... In any case they should look like a Phase IV F3 which means slotted DB with low fans. And it appears that others agree that 5561-5564 s/b in that group no matter what they were formally referred to. Sounds like an interesting optional item to offer.
