GP7 SLSF 517 Note the company diesel sand service hopper car parked near the bulk sand unloading elevator leg, storage tank or tower. Locomotive is coupled to GP7 SLSF 513. Tulsa, OK Edit 2/27/2024: Added photograph narrative and location. MKD
Two GP7s SLSF 517 and SLSF 520 at the East Yard service track in Oklahoma City, OK in the late 1970s.
The GP7 SLSF 517 is the unit that I have my Grandpa pictured in. But in an earlier black and yellow paint. This shows it in service many years after he retired. Always good to see any Frisco picture that has been in a drawer or otherwise not seen. Thanks for posting!
Look at those Leslies up on top of GP7 SLSF 517 and SLSF 520. Good old Frisco, they even wanted the GP7s to sound good! Ken
Yes sir Ken, They are standing tall and proud are they not? How do we model those washtub spark arrestors? O or S scale round Details West parts I am pondering? hhhmmm
Not sure of the details on those, but looks as if three sections of tubing placed inside each other might work?
Agree! I am thinking they are domes on the tank/tanks behind the Mandarin orange and white GP7 SLSF 520, or something on the building. I have never seen anything that looks like that as a spark arrestor on top of a Frisco GP7, or any other GP unit. It does look like one of the little "canopy" spark deflectors they used is mounted on the rear exhaust of GP7 SLSF 520. You can see the edge of the front one as well before it gets lost in the background noise. Ken
Check these out. They are pictures from the Fallen Flags or Railroad Picture Archives web sites. These are some big square ones and big round ones different stuff here. http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/slsf/slsf624abp.jpg http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/slsf/slsf632abp.jpg http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/slsf/slsf632abh.jpg http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures\28603\acft936ff.jpg http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures\28603\MISC197ss.jpg http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures\28603\rr0577v.jpg http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures\37605\slsf line.jpg http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures\37605\MISC191cc.jpg
Tom, Maybe! But, the "things" on SLSF 520 look round to me. These in your posted pictures are square. Probably home made by the SLSF. The ones on SLSF 510 could be the same. They look to be rounded and have the connection to the exhaust stacks like on SLSF 520. What does the group think? Love that top-side view! Ken
Pretty sure that I have seen the round ones on some other railroad locomotives. May have been Milwaukee, Burlington, MKT, or GN. Not much help at the moment, sorry.
As more roads dieselized, and as the early diesels aged a bit and started throwing more sparks the rate of line-side fires became more of a problem. I remember in the late summer in Rolla while I was at MSM, 1960, 1961, etc., I recall the Frisco being accused of setting fires in the local paper. I am sure this was occurring across the country as well. I would bet the Frisco's first thought was to design a spark catching device for their diesel exhausts, mainly on the EMDs as this was mainly a two-cycle problem. That may be what we see on GP7s SLSF 510 and SLSF 520. The four-cycle road engines were turbocharged, which was in itself a good spark eliminator. At the same time, the market realized an opportunity, and commercially designed spark arrestor devices became available. Eventually, the Frisco settled on the familiar screen-lifting type they used on all non-turbo engines, including on some Baldwin VO-1000s and EMD NW2s & SW7s. Some of the FMs had a big spark screen in them. I am not sure if any gadgets made it on top of an Alco S-2 or S-4. Ken
Those big square ones do not look quite as gargantuan as those round ones. They both look out of place to me. But that is my opinion.
