F-9B Diesel

Brown Box Era HO-Scale Trains

F-9B Diesel Locomotive

As with TYCO's F-9A, the B or Booster unit is really a late phase F-7B, but was cataloged always as an F-9B.

During the "Red Box Era" prior to 1970, the B-unit can be found in a wide variety of roadnames and in Powered and Non-Powered versions. During the "Brown Box Era" of the '70s, TYCO only officially catalogs a Santa Fe Passenger F-9B unit. Collectors should note that other roadnames do appear for the F-9B in the famous TYCO "Brown Boxes," among them are a bright-green Penn Central offering.

The F-9B didn't fare as well as its A-unit counterpart under the Consolidated Foods ownership of TYCO. The F-9B last appears in the 1976 catalog. Mantua re-introduces this loco during its second run in HO-scale model trains from 1978 through 2001.

Roadnames
Stock Numbers and Catalog Appearances

Penn Central

(green with white lettering)

(1971-72)

TYCO Santa Fe Passenger F-9B Diesel Locomotive

Santa Fe (Passenger red and silver)

(No.230H)

(No.230-21)

From the beginning of the Brown Box Era, TYCO used a letter suffix designation on stock numbers to note roadnames, this changes with the 1975-76 catalog. As of the 1975 listings, TYCO uses the two-digit suffix to model numbers to note a loco or freight car's roadname. The Santa Fe F-9B would have been TYCO's 230H item, until the '75 system change made it 230-21. The Santa Fe F-9B is last listed in a TYCO catalog in 1976.

Mantua's B-units...

MANTUA

MANTUA Rock Island Rocket F-7A and F-7B

From the 1990's, MANTUA's Rock Island Rocket-scheme F-7A and F-7B units. Notice MANTUA has cast a full frame for the A-unit and the slots on the sides of the shell are gone. The B-unit however still has its slots and appears to not have been altered for this production run.

In 1977 the Tyler family purchased back the original line of HO-scale trains from then TYCO owner Consolidated Foods/Sara Lee. The F-9B Diesel Locomotive was among the items that became part of this second generation of Mantua trains. Though not part of the first offerings from Mantua in the late '70s, the B-unit was sold during the '80s through 2001. The TYCO F-unit was always labeled an F-9, in reality the model is closer to the F-7 prototype. Mantua refers to its F-units, both A's and B's, as F-7s during the second generation of Mantua trains.

Mantua often sold the F-7B in sets with other F-units. For example, an Amtrak F-7A-B-B set is featured one year; while a Pennsy A-B-A set is seen another. Reviewing Mantua catalogs, it appears the F-7B was generally available only as a non-powered loco. Roadnames for F-7B units were less in number than what was found for the F-7A unit. Generally, each year's catalog featured about twice as many roadnames available for the F-7A unit, than you would find for the F-7B units.

Though not complete, the following is a listing of roadnames and when available stock numbers to assist in identifying the second generation late '70s-2001.

Mantua F-7Bs:

New York Central (#412-022)
Conrail (#412-031 and #412-531)
Amtrak (Phase I) (#412-032)
Rock Island (Rocket) (#412-058)
Pennsylvania Railroad (Tuscan Red) (#412-170 and #412-620)
Pennsylvania Railroad (Brunswick Green) #412-520)
Santa Fe (red-and-silver passenger warbonnet) (#412-001)
Reading (#412-521)
Northern Pacific (#412-004)

Last Updated July 20, 2006