Nostalgia & History > An "early" Santa Fe CF7 at Bellville,Tx -- May 76

(1) CF7 #2643 and GP7 #2841 at the Santa Fe yard at Bellville,Tx.

(2) The first CF7 was released from the Santa Fe Cleburne Shops in Feb 1970 so #2643 was one of the early ones - much different looking from the later rebuilds ( with the sloping roof and hand cranked windows from the F unit?) This engine was rebuilt from F7A #270L and released from the shops in January 1971.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/09 07:06 by gcm.

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Thanks for posting. While these were derided as "ugly ducklings", I personally liked them MUCH better that the later versions with that out of proportion angled cab. Looked bad on Geeps too. Quite a classic in that scheme with that cab arrangement!

No. 2643 is not quite all-original CF7. Notice that it has the retrofitted frame gussets. I find it interesting that the CF7s that stayed in Texas were considered "works in progress" by the Cleburne shops. It makes modeling a specific date in the '70s more challenging. Thanks for sharing Gary. -- Keith Thompson

i'm sure its been asked here before, but did any of the round cab roof versions survive?


Jeff

gcm Wrote:

> (2) The first CF7 was released from the Santa Fe
> Cleburne Shops in Feb 1970 so #2643 was one of the
> early ones - much different looking from the later
> rebuilds ( with the sloping roof and hand cranked
> windows from the F unit?)

Yes, the cab roof contour, wing windows and roll-down side windows on the first units were retained from the F's from which they were built. The windows were the first to go, within the first 20 or so CF7's produced, in favor of larger, sliding windows. The round cabs lasted until quite late in the program. ATSF 2471 was the first unit built with an angled cab in February 1977, and the program ended with 2417 thirteen months later. Many also kept the single note airhorns from the F's - that S-25 on 2643 could well have come from an F. All CF7's kept the F-unit tank arrangement and a piece of the old curved, ribbed "anticlimber" and buffer plate modeled by 2643.

CDTX wrote:

> i'm sure its been asked here before, but did any of the round cab roof versions survive?

One bit of data I've never seen in print is just when Santa Fe stopped retrofitting CF7's with angled cabs, but quite a few were retired with their round cabs intact. A several round cab units were in the group of 25 that went to Amtrak in 1984, see:

http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtCF7.html

Looking back in my 1979 timebook, the earliest CF-7 I had, was the leader in an odd consist from Emporia-Arkansas City on a 305 train. 2637-8505-8014-2789A-2572. Two more earlybirds were the 2631 & 2627, had them in Feb of 1980 on an SKE train from Newton-McPherson. I seem to remember some of these having the crank type windows, not sure about which ones, maybe some of these I mentioned. I do remember being on one of the very early ones that didn't even have a load meter, just a red glass bull's eye type lense that flashed red if the motors got too hot. (possibly the 2646 or 2647) They had the original F-7 control stands with the 24 brake valve out in front of you, and push-pull switches and fuses instead of circuit breakers. Looking further I see the 2503 on an Eastbound train I had into Emporia on 10-2-1987, along with a notation that it was one of the last ones on the property.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/09 06:21 by ddg.