Athearn #G88413 FEF-3 4-8-4 W/DCC & Sound UP #844

FEF-3 FEATURES UP 835-844 came in 1944 as coal burners with 80-inch drivers similar to the FEF-2’s but with dual smoke stack and different front end pilot. ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES #835 Solid Black Oil Burner Triple Stack Smoke Lifters Era 1952+. #844 Oil Burner Double Stack Smoke Lifters Era 2017+. High-Shine Black “Race to Promontory” version as used in tandem with Big Boy 4014 on May 4 2019 as well as excursion service. Comes in a beautiful limited-edition box with special graphics. STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES Illuminated number boards Metal handrails Builder’s plates Adjustable cab windows Non-operating classification lights Blackened metal wheels Oil burner Accurate oil tender details Feedwater heater per prototype ATS cabinet per prototype Swing coupler pocket Double or triple smokestack per prototype Single or double generator per prototype Side rods colored to match the prototype Illuminated red signal light except on 2016 version of #844 Boiler backhead with full details and printed gauges Synchronized chuff whistle bell blow-down air compressor dyno and pop-off valve sounds User-controlled whistle short whistle bell squeal coupler crash injector water stop and light dimmer Individually-applied detail parts including brass-painted bell and whistle piping valves generator steps air pump air tanks reverser and coupler lift bar Front coupler pocket can be inserted to mount operating coupler Minimum radius 22″ NEW FEATURES Dual cube speakers for great sound quality Lighted firebox flicker effect with see-through firebox door Upgraded headlight lighting with brighter LED Improved loco-to-tender connection harness for increased durability and serviceability SOUND EQUPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE Tender-mounted DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality Sound units operate in both DC and DCC Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode Chuff whistle and bell sounds work in DC All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode Precision slow speed control Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes CV chart included in the box PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION In 1939 15 FEF-2 class 4-8-4s numbers 820 through 834 were acquired. They shared a family resemblance to the big Challengers and Big Boys. The FEF-2s were built as coal burners with single exhaust stacks drop coupler pilots and “centipede” tenders that carried 25 tons of coal and 23500 gallons of water. When they were rebuilt they received double or triple exhaust stacks. During the traffic crunch of World War II ten more 4-8-4s of class FEF-3 numbers 835 through 844 were acquired. The FEF-3 boiler was slightly longer than the FEF-2 plus the FEF-3 featured double exhaust stacks cast pilots and cabinets on the tender. Within six months of delivery they were fitted with “elephant ear” smoke deflectors. Several FEF-3s also received triple exhaust stacks. All of the 4-8-4s were converted to burn oil after the Second World War. They also wore two-tone gray paint from April 1946 until the mid-1950s. While UP streamliners were all diesel powered the FEFs worked the secondary trains such as the Pony Express and Overland as well as mail trains. At the time those trains were usually quite long and consisted of heavyweight cars requiring all of the power the FEFs could deliver. Instead of retiring FEF-3 844 in the early 1960s UP kept it for excursion service and renumbered it to 8444 to allow GP30 844 into the system by 1962. From the mid-1950s until 1987 FEF-3 8444 was painted in the black paint scheme. In September 1987 it was repainted into the two-tone gray scheme with yellow stripe and lettering. After returning to Cheyenne from the Los Angeles Union Station 50th Anniversary celebration in June 1989 FEF-3 8444 was renumbered back to 844. The two-tone gray paint lasted until September 1991.