Diesel locomotive GM EMD F 7 - General Motors

The American F units were a classic among the great locomotives of the world and they signalled the end of the steam locomotive in the United States. In the early 1940s the first of these powerful machines left the erecting halls of General Motors' Electro-Motive Division to start demonstration tours across the continent. During these trips they proved the superiority of the diesel propulsion system, even in extreme climate conditions.

The Electro-Motive Division of the giant Detroit corporation General Motors designed the locomotives using the multiple unit operation principle so that several locomotives, one behind the other or back-to-back, were often seen at the head of heavy trains or on mountainous routes to provide the necessary power.

The 3349 and 3649 models reproduce one of these numerous "demonstrators". They consist of three units, two with a cab (A unit) and one without a cab (B unit) which are permanently coupled together. The frames and bodies are metal. Two motors power four axles. The front headlights and number boards at the cab ends are lit. Length over buffers 52,0 cm (20-1/2").

The 3349 locomotive was produced as a one-time series only in 1990.