Locomotives / Train Sets

EMD F7 Diesel-Electric Locomotive

Diesel-Electric Locomotive

Series: "F-Unit"

Entry Last Edited: 01/17/2024 | Content ©www.RailRoadJunction.net

Over 3,800 EMD F7 diesel-electric locomotives were completed by EMD and GMD and operated by customers throughout North America.

The EMD F7 is the quintessential classic post-World War 2 American train industry diesel-electric locomotive built to the tune of some 3,856 total units from the period spanning February 1949 to December 1953, continuing the line of successful F-Unit locos manufactured by EMD. Production of the F7 was split between General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD) resulting in 2,393 "A Units" (traditional nosed locomotives) and 1,463 "B Units" (lacking the driving cab, used primarily to enhance power pull as 'booster' units).

The F-Unit series began with the FT in 1939 that outputted 2,700 horsepower between an A Unit and B Unit arrangement. The series continued on in the F2 in 1946 followed by the F3 in, also in 1946 - both preceding the next installment of the line which became the F7. The FP7 followed from 1949-1953 as 381 A Units of 1,500 horsepower before the line ended with the F9, FP9, and FL9 entries from 1953-1956.

For its part, the F7 continued the sleek, identifiable styling of the F-Unit series as a whole. These units were large and tall, standing at almost two stories. Ladders were set along the forward sides of the driving cab to allow entry through the hinged rectangular doors. A pair of windshields dominated the forward view which looked out over the rounded nose assembly. While loco numbers were presented at the cheek areas, the center of the bow saw a pair of stacked light installations set to overlook the oncoming track sections.

In the AAR notation, the wheel arrangement was B-B while the UIC notation covered it as Bo'Bo' - two axles and four wheels per each truck (one forward and the other aft). The trucks in play were Blomberg B model types with 40" wheel diameters, the wheelbase measuring out to 39 feet.

A Units locos were given a running length of 50.7 feet while B Units were slightly shorter at exactly 50 feet. Their beam reached 10.6 inches and height was 15 feet. The units tipped the scales at 247,300lb (112,200kg).

Internally, the locomotive was powered by an in-house EMD 16-567B series 2-stroke, V16 diesel-fueled prime mover of 1,500 horsepower at 800 rpm with aspiration from a roots blower. The generator in play was another EMD in-house product, the D-12 series. The Traction motors were 4x EMD D-27-B units. All told, the locomotive could manage top speeds near 102 miles-per-hour under ideal conditions. Starting tractive effort was 56,500lb against a continuous tractive effort of 40,000lb.

The largest operator of the F7 series became the Southern Pacific Railroad which collected 530 total F7 units made up of 294 A Units and 236 B Units. The series was also employed in varying numbers by Canadian and Mexican operators for a time. For their time on the rails, the locos served in both passenger- and freight-hauling services.

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Specifications [ EMD F7 ]

General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD); General Motors Diesel (GMD) - USA
Builder

United States
Origin

1949 - 1953
Production Run

3,856 units
Production Total

Front-Right
Driver Position

15.4m | 50.7 ft
Length
NOTE: May include length of entire train set

112,200 kg
(247,401 lb | 124 US Tons)
Weight

Diesel-Electric
Power Source

EMD 16-567B 2-stroke V16 diesel-fueled engine developing 1,500 horsepower at 800rpm.
Engine / Drive Source

4 x EMD D-27-B units.
Traction Motor / Sets

1,500 hp
Rated Output Power

165.0 kph
(102.5 mph)
Max Speed

Wheel Arrangement
(Loco Facing Left)

Series Variants
F7 - Base Series Designation.

Operating Countries
Canada; Mexico; United States

Customers / Operators:
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Canadian National Railway; Canadian Pacific Railway; Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico; New York Central Railroad; Pennsylvania Railroad; Southern Pacific Railroad; Wabash Railroad
NOTE: Includes both past and present

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