GP7s SLSF 596 And SLSF 518 Running Light With Caboose SLSF 86 Some weekend in the summer of 1961, our family was enjoying a picnic at Trail of Tears State Park upriver from Cape Girardeau, MO. My father just caught the following picture of GP7s SLSF 592 and SLSF 518 running light with caboose SLSF 86. Train is southbound on the St. Louis Subdivision. Visible beyond the tracks, between the near and far tree lines, is the Mississippi River.
Interesting photograph. I wonder why there were crew in both locomotives. Did those cabooses ride rough? Bob Wintle
I showed the picture to my brother's buddy, who was an engineer at that time. He said that if they were running light and at speed, the other crew members would rather ride in an engine. There was no welded rail and that particular series of cabooses were not known for their ride.
SLSF 506, EMD GP7, 1500 HP SLSF 508, EMD GP7, 1500 HP SLSF 513, EMD GP7, 1500 HP SLSF 518, EMD GP7, 1500 HP, with cab SLSF 1133 SLSF 525, EMD GP7, 1500 HP SLSF 526, EMD GP7, 1500 HP Attached are six additional Frisco GP7 pictures that are in my "Enid" negative collection. There are several more, but they are very poor pictures so I am not going to post them. These six are not all that great! Notice the SLSF GP7s that have been repainted into the mandarin orange and white livery also have their Leslie horns oriented into the all horns facing forward setup. The black and yellow units have the three forward/two to the rear setup. Was this a universal change? SLSF 518 has ex-ATSF caboose SLSF 1133 in tow. These cabooses looked good on the Santa Fe, even better in their second life on the Frisco. The SLSF 526 shot is a good profile roster shot of a late-in-life Frisco GP7. Ken
