Subscribe to download
ATSF Blue F7B No. 238B

The F7B is just a cabless version of the F7A, and is otherwise known as a booster unit or simply B unit. These locomotives came about as they were slightly cheaper than A units, seeing as the cabless engines didn’t have windscreens, crew seats, radios, heating or toilets. At the time of their introduction, the railroads usually had three to four engines together as a ‘lash-up’, which was rarely separated. So in a lot of cases, it would have been pointless for the middle engines to have a cab.

This particular F7B - Santa Fe 238 - was built by EMD in July 1950. The engine ran in service with the ATSF right up until February 1975, when she was withdrawn from service and scrapped.

Unfortunately I’ve only been able to find one photograph of the real F7B No. 238.