Nostalgia & History > CB&Q E7A 9922A

I remember taking this slide on June 8, 1964 in Minneapolis, MN.  It marks the beginning of my hate of wires and  poles.  It is also backlit.  She was among the first 20 post-war passenger diesels the CB&Q received (November 1945) and she wasn't stainless steel (later E7s had stainless steel sheeting on their sides).  We didn't call her an E7A because the CB&Q has only 3 E B-units and they were E5Bs.  She simply was an E7.  She was retired in September 1969 so she never had the indignity of having Burlington Northern green paint splashed on her.  But she was special to this college kid for maybe a minute even though she was hiding behind a pole.  And she was one of my engines because I was working for the CB&Q that summer.  I was in the Twin Cities for most of June filling in for vacationing operator-levermen at Oakland Tower.

Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/17 22:28 by MartyBernard.

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Marty, you are amazing.

Excellent shot. I understand your desire to have a "pole filter," and also like unobstucted shots. But, photos like this show "the real world of railroading," and I think are just as meaningful. Thank you for your efforts.

B&OBill

Good looking unit and photo.  Wires, poles, water hoses and other appliances included--just part of being on the railroad.
Brian Stevens

nice shot

That's a great picture, Marty.  Not many pictures of the Q's Minneapolis Coach Yard seem to exist.  Most switching there was done between 1:00 and 4:00 am by the Dayton's Bluff crew of the "Midnight Transfer", it was cramped, crowded, and filled with obstructions (not just poles), and was in a jungle that you wouldn't want to be caught dead in, even in daylight*.

*I was head-man switching there one night, flagging the GN's crossing of our yard lead (probably the safest job outside the cab), and a 'bo walks up to me panhandling.  His throat was slit with a 5" gash!  I wanted to call police, but though he couldn't talk, he made it clear he didn't want to draw any more attention to himself than he already had!  I think I gave him the change in my pocket.  Another one of our brakemen found a guy hanged.  And another found a head.  No body - just a head.

-Larry Doyle, aka John Stein