Yet another F7 being parted out

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Jun 12, 2011 12:10 pm

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 766&nseq=6

Quote:

Crews of the Wisconsin Great Northern fired up Missabe Road Crane X-7, to lift former Chicago & North Western F7A 400 off its rear truck. According to president Greg Vreeland, the 400 ''has given parts so that other F7's may live''. The roof fans were donated several months ago to the Lake Superior Transportation Museum in Duluth for repairs to one of the former Erie Mining F units, according to the WGN staff. May 31, 2011.

Jdelhaye · **Posted:** Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:38 pm

Ouch.....feels like I've lost an old friend.

Jeff

daylight4449 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:09 am

Jdelhaye wrote:

Ouch.....feels like I've lost an old friend.

Jeff

Is it just me, or does it seem that there is an increase in partouts and scrappings of F7s? I know that the parts can be used in other locomotives, but geez, what's with the spike in casualties?

steaminfo · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:58 am

daylight4449 wrote:

Jdelhaye wrote:

Ouch.....feels like I've lost an old friend.

Jeff

Is it just me, or does it seem that there is an increase in partouts and scrappings of F7s? I know that the parts can be used in other locomotives, but geez, what's with the spike in casualties?

It's just you.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:28 am

I count four in the past six months that I know of off the top of my head: the former Steamtown/MMID one in Pa., the two in Galveston, and this C&NW 400, plus I think another E (or even more than one) may have been cut up at Larry's Truck and Electric in Ohio. Above-average rate? Yes..........

Call it a surplus of needed/operable/etc. units, a dour economy and aging owners running up against very high scrap prices. Heck, even "metallurgical coal" exports are booming through Norfolk and Baltimore right now due to increasing demand for improved steel from/in China and India. If a scrap man were offering you $1,100 for your totally life-expired, knackered, bleedin'-demised, pooped-out 1982 Chevy Citation, what would you do?

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:53 am

We'll always have the one in the Pennsylvania quarry...

(sorry)

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:18 am

Richard Glueck wrote:

We'll always have the one in the Pennsylvania quarry...

Now you know darn well that was a Baldwin Centipede duo. Too bad they never found the drawbar.

big-bad-2666 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:51 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

I count four in the past six months that I know of off the top of my head: the former Steamtown/MMID one in Pa., the two in Galveston, and this C&NW 400, plus I think another E (or even more than one) may have been cut up at Larry's Truck and Electric in Ohio. Above-average rate? Yes..........

Also the B&LE F7 #416 that was cut up here in Michigan.

MEC_557 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:55 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

plus I think another E (or even more than one) may have been cut up at Larry's Truck and Electric in Ohio.

Would that have been an ex- MARC unit? I thought Larry's had one of them in there.

wctruboat · **Posted:** Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:44 pm

Not sure what WGN & Company plans on doing with the carbody...the trucks and 567 were salvaged by the previous owner, and the engine was slowly parted out over the past few years. It's donated many parts to keep not only the 423 operable at the WGN, but also donated some parts to LSRM/NSSR a few years ago.

It's really best that it's taken out back and shot...it's life as C&NW 400 was short, when it died on the North Western, and another F7A took it's place (The 2nd 400 lives in Keokuk, IA area). No real reason why it should have lived this long, other than pure luck.

RIP Pigeon Poop factory, eh, 400...