U25B SLSF 807 Before and After I had a certain fondness for the high nosed U-Boats. To the contrary, I imagine the crews that operated them would rate them much lower. Visibility was poor, and the steps were awkward to negotiate. They had a delightful sound, and they announced their presence well before they appeared. Given that only the Frisco and Uncle Pete ordered the units, they were rare birds, and I always had my eye open for them. Indeed, units SLSF 804-807 were the GE demonstrator units. Initially they saw run-through service with the ATSF, and later with the UP to North Platte. Delivered to the Frisco in the black and yellow, the first to receive the mandarin and white scheme was SLSF 802. During the summer of 1974, I spotted the SLSF 807 at the Springfield Diesel Shops. She had been wrecked, and her prime mover was gone. I expected that she soon would be cut-up. On a visit to the West Yards during the following summer, I found the SLSF 807 on the ready track awaiting a train. I do not know if the Springfield shops rebuilt her or if she was sent back to General Electric (GE). I have looked around and can find no further information about her wreck or her rebuilding. The SLSF 807 did not last much longer. She and her sisters went back to GE on 9/28/77 as a trade-in for the SLSF 863-870 series B30-7s.
