Randy's CF7 kits are coming!

[lock4244]

Pretty sure no CF7 's ever operated in Canada... at least not around here (Ontario). Still... be a neat model to have for a freelanced RR.

[randgust]

I got the round-roof version with the 'open frame' and chicken-basket steps done through primer so you can see it.....



More photos up on the web page.

[SirTainly]

That looks really good. Are you going to do the wind-up window version too? Just curious, not a request as my train expendature is now limited to paying for pre-orders, no new stuff.

[Denver Road Doug]

some rogue company will announce them in N scale.

Well, we kinda already have another shell coming.  Hopefully this won't kill that project.

[bsoplinger]

I see Conrail had one. Does anyone know if it ever wore CR blue or just passed through CR's hands on its way to its next owner?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I am not aware of any CF7s in the CR fleet. Could it be that Conrail Lines (or something along that line) joint venture with local shortlines in the late 1990's?

[SirTainly]

I noticed BNSF owned one too, although don't think it was ever used in service or repainted out of the Washington shortline's colours from which it was acquired.

[bsoplinger]

I am not aware of any CF7s in the CR fleet. Could it be that Conrail Lines (or something along that line) joint venture with local shortlines in the late 1990's?

That'd be the correct timeframe which made me think it never was actually used by Conrail but just passed through their hands on the way to whatever shortline got it.

But I guess I could always paint one up as a CR engine just 'cause.

[SirTainly]

From the CF7 book "From Cleburne to Everywhere", the 2 units owned by Conrail were 2429 and 2444 both ex Nittany and Bald Eagle locos (there's a photo of 2429 in the dark blue with white lettering and silver trucks scheme of said railroad from 1988). These were then traded to Reading and Northern as 1503 and 1504 and later on to another road. You want the angled cab version for these locos.

Simon

[bsoplinger]

So the ownership of those 2 CF7s was:
ATSF->NBER->CR->RBMN
-OR-
Santa Fe->Nittany and Bald Eagle->Conrail->Reading and Northern

Which does make it fairly certain that they never were in CR blue, but think I'll get one, just cause I like Randy's kits.

[SirTainly]

Pretty sure no CF7 's ever operated in Canada... at least not around here (Ontario). Still... be a neat model to have for a freelanced RR.

at least one has operated in Canada (although not Ontario, in BC) albeit briefly:

http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/IRRS.html

I think there maybe another mentioned in the book, will recheck tonight.

[SirTainly]

So the ownership of those 2 CF7s was:
ATSF->NBER->CR->RBMN
-OR-
Santa Fe->Nittany and Bald Eagle->Conrail->Reading and Northern

Which does make it fairly certain that they never were in CR blue, but think I'll get one, just cause I like Randy's kits.

Correct, and in fact they went somewhere after RBMN, I'll check the book tonight for completeness, and for what their stack arrangement was.

[SirTainly]

Looks like I was getting a little muddled - both CF7s were still at RBMN as of the book's publication, however 2444 did change it's number to 44 whilst in Conrail service. Would this have been done so it could be used in revenue service and not conflict with another unit? 2429 kept its number. After checking 2429 does have the 4 stack arrangement as per Randy's model.

[randgust]

Like everything about CF7's, timing is everything.   The original batch of CF7's were built as two-stackers and didn't change over to the imitation Farr-stack manifold until about late '72.  The "Chicken Basket" spark arrestors were used on both two-stack and four-stack locomotives, but even ATSF didn't think they worked all that well and they were taken off many units.

RBMN bought a bunch of CF7's as a dealer.  The ex-GM of another shortline that I work with bought his four CF7's from them.  So there were a number of units that show a transition RBMH ownership in the chain where they never even ran there.

As a news update the molding tests are complete on the three-window angled cab, looks good.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Just came across a pic of one of the ex-R&N units:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314219&nseq=14