HO — Athearn Roundhouse plans an October delivery for a new collection of F-units. This pioneering plastic pair debuted in the mid-1950s under the Globe Models brand and soon after joined Athearn’s catalog. In the early 2000s, fully assembled examples began being sold under Athearn’s Ready To Roll series, followed by a move to the Athearn Roundhouse line in 2016. For this 2021 production, the powered F7A diesel locomotive model will received a revised drive mechanism with electronics providing a 21-pin socket for simple installation of a Digital Command Control decoder. Updates will also see the inclusion of LED headlights for the first time for this classic F-unit model.

Above: The base tooling for this legendary plastic F-unit pair has roots in the mid-1950s. The “Globe” F-unit has been available in the hobby for decades and returns with enhancements for a 2021 Athearn Roundhouse release. Five road names (Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, Chicago & North Western, CP Rail, and Southern Railway) will make up the production of F7A-F7B sets and single F7A offerings.

You’ll find five well-known liveries present in this coming production: Santa Fe (red-and-silver Warbonnet), Southern Pacific (Daylight scheme), Chicago & North Western (yellow repaint scheme with green upper section, pilot, and frame), CP Rail (Action Red with multimark logo), and Southern Railway (green with imitation aluminum). Single powered F7A diesel locomotives will be offered in one road number per road name and the model carries a $139.98 suggested retail price. Athearn Roundhouse will also sell F7A and F7B sets with a powered A-unit and non-powered B-unit in the five announced road names. These sets will include road numbers for the F7As that differ from the single model offerings, allowing for building uniquely numbered A-B-A sets. The F7A/F7B pair carries a $219.98 suggested retail price. In addition to these Athearn Roundhouse F-units, also coming are matching caboose models for these five road names. Check with your hobby dealer for additional information and to reserve your models or visit Athearn’s website for a look at the full line of Athearn Roundhouse releases.

Athearn Roundhouse
1600 Forbes Way, Suite 120
Long Beach, CA 90810
877-422-9316
athearn.com

F-units are the theme for January 2021’s Model Railroad News!