HO BF-16 Sharknose A Diesel PRR #2003A/1-Stripe DCC Ready

Built between 1950 and
1953, the RF-16 Sharknose diesels were cab unit diesel locomotives
built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works to the specifications of the
Pennsylvania Railroad.  Their distinctive contours were
reminiscent of Raymond Loewy’s design for the Pennsy’s T1 class steam
locomotive.  Baldwin built a total of 160 of these locomotives
– 109 A-units and 51 cabless booster B-units.  In addition to
the PRR, B&O and NYC railroads also operated a substantial
number of the “Sharks”. 
 

The Sharknose locomotives were known as excellent
“luggers”.   They regularly saw service hauling heavy
ore and coal drags.  The RF-16 Sharknose locomotives beat the
F7 with 100 additional horsepower and tied the FA2 with 1600
horsepower.  Unfortunately, they did not last as long as the
F7’s.  With a few exceptions, most of the engines were retired
by 1967. 
 

In this production, we are offering single A and B
units in five prototypically accurate paint schemes.  In
addition to the prototypically accurate models, we are building models
in several fantasy paint schemes that never quite made it to reality,
but would have been beautiful on the rails.  The CNJ and the
MP owned Baldwin babyface locomotives, but didn’t order the
Sharks.   The DMIR owned the EJ&E Sharks for
a few months, but never repainted them.  We have painted the
models in a prototypical DMIR paint scheme.  The ATSF and the
SP tested the Baldwin demo set, but declined to order production
models.  We are offering models decorated in the appropriate
ATSF and SP liveries if those railroads had decided to operate the
“Sharks”. 
 

In addition to the Paragon4 version of these
models, we are offering models in our Stealth Series.  These
are No-Sound / DCC-Ready models that operate on DC out of the box, or a
modeler can easily install their DCC decoder of choice.  Out
of the box, front and rear lights are directional, and other lights are
always ON with track power.   Additionally some light
functions may be missing depending on selected aftermarket decoder the
modeler installs.
 

List of individually controllable lights in our
Sharknose models (note that light options may be limited in Stealth
Series models):

• Headlight

• Rear Light

• Numberboard Lights

• Marker Lights