Nostalgia & History > Some Northern Pacific Passenger F-units

1. Here is NP F3A 6503C with F7B 6553B and another B-unit running light from St. Paul to Minneapolis. 6503C is often listed as an F5A because it was built just before the F7s started production and had some of the F7 improvements. 6503C was built in 1948 and traded to GE in 1965. I can find no data on 6553B, even for its existance. But that is the number on the side of the B-unit I photographed. It was numbered one higher than the highest numbered F7B I can find listed anywhere. Can anyone help solve this mystery?

2. and 3. Backing onto and later pulling out the NCL from SPUD was this perfect ABBA brace of an F3 and 3 F7s. Numbered from front to back as in Picture 3 they were 6506C, 6511B, 6513B, and 6507A. The NCL observation car I posted last night concluded the NCL that evening. The units were:
F3A, often listed as a F5A, 6506C built in 1948 was traded to GE in 1969.
F7B 6511B built in 1949 became Amtrak 153 in 1972.
F7B 6513B built in 1950 became Amtrak 154 in 1972.
F7A 6507A built in 1949 was traded to EMD in 1970.

No matter your favorite railroad, you must agree these Fs were darn magnificent.

Marty Bernard

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MartyBernard Wrote:
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> I can find no
> data on 6553B, even for its existance. But that
> is the number on the side of the B-unit I
> photographed. It was numbered one higher than the
> highest numbered F7B I can find listed anywhere.
> Can anyone help solve this mystery?
>

I don't know that I can really solve it, but according to Kuebler's book "The Vista-Dome North Coast Limited" NP 6553B was converted from a freight F-3B (which had originally been a passenger unit converted to a freight unit) in 1962. I'm guessing that was necessitated by locomotives destroyed in Granite Lake, ID and Evaro, MT passenger train wrecks in 1962. That said, NP did a lot of converting back and forth from passenger to freight locomotives or vice versa during that era.

green with envy

That last shot is really nice. Always liked that scheme. Thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Marty, you are spoiling us NP fans with these great photos! All are really sharp and the wide white bands on the A units' fronts remind me of the so-called 'bib' you showed earlier on NP observation car 390. Thanks for the excellent shots.

Rich

Thanks for sharing the wonderful F-unit photos, Marty.
I always particularly liked the raised NORTHERN PACIFIC
letters on the B units' stainless steel radiator grilles.
Did any other railroad do that? I can think of none.

Really really nice.
Thanks for sharing.

Nice stuff, Marty, thanks for posting.

I believe those units in the first shot are running between SPUD and
the Mississippi Street engine terminal where NP housed its passenger
power in St. Paul. The location looks to be just north of the 7th
Street Overpass, and those signals definitely look GN. The second
and third photos look to be the North Coast power given the sun angles
and intensity.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Very nice!

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice stuff, Marty, thanks for posting.
>
> I believe those units in the first shot are
> running between SPUD and
> the Mississippi Street engine terminal where NP
> housed its passenger
> power in St. Paul. The location looks to be just
> north of the 7th
> Street Overpass, and those signals definitely look
> GN.

Nick, I also believe the power is moving between SPUD and Mississippi Street roundhouse, but I think its further up the hill. The telltales would be for the tunnels under Westminster, and the SOO's track coming down from Jessamine St. Yard toward their tunnel can be seen through the trees just above the nose of the 6503C and above the right hand color light signal. NP used this type signals on their main between St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the number plate 1.0 places them 1 mile from 7th Street. Mississippi St. tower, last seen here http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3488297,3491469#msg-3491469 is just a ways off to the right, and the ABS signal is showing an approach for the towers home searchlight signal.

-John



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/14 11:42 by LarryDoyle.

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ntharalson Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nice stuff, Marty, thanks for posting.
> >
> > I believe those units in the first shot are
> > running between SPUD and
> > the Mississippi Street engine terminal where NP
> > housed its passenger
> > power in St. Paul. The location looks to be
> just
> > north of the 7th
> > Street Overpass, and those signals definitely
> look
> > GN.
>
> Nick, I also believe the power is moving between
> SPUD and Mississippi Street roundhouse, but I
> think its further up the hill. The telltales
> would be for the tunnels under Westminster, and
> the SOO's track coming down from Jessamine St.
> Yard toward their tunnel can be seen through the
> trees just above the nose of the 6503C and above
> the right hand color light signal. NP used this
> type signals on their main between St. Paul and
> Minneapolis, and the number plate 1.0 places them
> 1 mile from 7th Street. Mississippi St. tower,
> last seen here
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,
> 3488297,3491469#msg-3491469 is just a ways off to
> the right, and the ABS signal is showing an
> approach for the towers home searchlight signal.
>
> -John

Thanks, John. As I look at this again, there aren't enough
tracks to be south of Westminster.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA