SW7 SLSF 303

Please see this view of SLSF 303, an EMD SW-7, at the roundhouse at East Thomas Yard in Birmingham, AL.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter1828/3567927972/sizes/l/

In this view the locomotive is painted Mandarin orange and white. A number of details are visible in this view including the whip radio antenna, yellow safety light, air line to the bell ringer, modified uncoupling levers and the "Save Fuel" sticker above the fuel filler pipe. There is also some really nice weathering that can be duplicated on a model.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Mark

 

Looks like it!

The Frisco SW7's were delivered with large single beam headlights. Over their service life, they all likely recieved replacement dual sealed beam lights, like 303 has. This is the same vertical dual beam headlight housing the SW9's came with. At least one SW7, SLSF 304, received a round side-by-side dual beam headlight housing instead.

Looking at my pics, it looks like 303, and possibly 302, received a red upper light when they received the dual beam retrofit. Looks like 302 got its dual beam set up while still in black & yellow.

Perhaps these units did a lot of ex-yard local and transfer runs out on the road. Hence, a red emergency flasher for emergency situations would be a useful accessory.

Ken

 

Dwain and Ken,

The top headlight lens on SLSF 303 is not red.

What you see is a cover over the lamp to blank out one bulb. The Electro Motive Division of General Motors manufactured headlamp covers with molded in letters for their brand EMD. These covers blanked out one lens and were at one time applied to some yard service units.

Yard crews often did not like the use at night of headlights or flashing amber beacons. They felt they created safety issues while switching and moving around yard and industrial areas at night. The crews often felt "blinded" by the sharp contrast between the lights and the dark of night. That is the main reason most early switchers had a non-flashing amber light bulb markers.

An advantage of the blank out lens caps is they were removable. This permitted an engine to be modified quickly if working in an area with more street grade crossings or "over the road". Later safety rules and theft of the covers resulted in their gradual elimination.

There are a number of photographs of Frisco units with a similar treatment. In addition to the 303 at least the following units were so equipped - 306, 308, 309, 310, 313, 314 (all EMD model SW-9) and brake sled SL-SF X-82. Unit SLSF 308 had the upper lense blanked. The other units had the lower blanked.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Mark

 

Mark,

Thanks!

We learn something new on frisco.org every day.

Ken

 

Dwain and Ken,

Here is a more head on view of the front of EMD SW-7 SLSF 303 at Amory, MS.

http://www.thebluecomet.com/slsf303AmoryMS.jpg

This shot more clearly shows the blanked top headlight lens lamp.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Mark

 

Dave,

In the photograph example you posted the lamp is constantly illuminated.

Basically it is a standard screw-in type light bulb (24 volt) covered by an amber glass dome. They were controlled by an on/off slide switch on the electrical cabinet inside the cab. The switches were sometimes later removed to prevent crews from turning them off when in service.

This type installation was common on our early, first generation switch engine locomotives.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Mark

 

See my response on the SW1500 thread below.

http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/sw1500-rotary-beacon.13997/#post-94890