why are there so meny f units about last count i had the following have been made Athearn F7A, F7B Athearn Genesis F3A, F3B, F7A, F7B, F9A, F9B Intermountian F7A, F7B Model Power F2A, F3A Proto 1000 F3A, F3B Mantua F7A, F7B MRC F7A Stewart FT's F3's, F7's F9's plus all the ones that have been in the past, do we really need all these? if not why do all the makers do these instead of models that we acually want and fill gaps in the market, i know the F unit is a popular loco but sure the market must be saturated by now and its time for something elce... just a thourght
I'd guess that cab unit shells are easier to produce than hood units. Also, the manufacturer wouldn't have to deal with the handrails that a hood unit has. As to sales, I'd have to guess they are there for manufacturers to stick their necks out and produce so many F's and E's. That's only my guess though. Personally, I prefer the hood units, but then I'm modeling a time period when hood units weren't as numerous as in the 50's. Look Ahead, Look South