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Santa Fe Warbonnet F7s



Prototype information:


The Santa Fe's striking red and yellow "warbonnet" paint scheme used on passenger and dual service F7s (along with other classes) is one of the most familiar and enduring images in railroading. "Warbonnet", however, is primarily a railfan term; Santa Fe employees normally referred to these locomotives by the less romantic and more descriptive term "red nose". The warbonnet F7s came in two major types, passenger units in the 37 and 300 classes and dual-service units in the 325 class.

37 Class

The 37 Class F7s were designated passenger units, carrying steam generator water tanks in the A units and steam generators in the B units. They arrived in two major groups:

37L,A,B,C through 41L,A,B,C 20 units delivered in A-B-B-A sets in September 1949
42L,A,B,C through 48L,A,B,C 32 units delivered in A-B-B-A sets in October 1952
48A one B unit rebuilt from F3B 32A in August 1952

Note that the Santa Fe designated units in A-B-B-A sets uniquely: the lead unit (what would normally be called the first A unit) was designated "L". The unit with an "A" suffix was in actuality a B unit, and the other A unit in the set had a "C" suffix.
The "L" suffix never appeared on unit number boards or after the number painted on the unit. However, a small "L" was painted on the anticlimber of "L" units.

300 Class

The 300 Class was similar in gearing and equipment to the 37 class, but came as A-B-B sets instead of A-B-B-A sets. The 300 Class units arrived as follows:

300L,A,B through 305L,A,B 18 units delivered in A-B-B sets in October 1949
306L,A,B through 309L,A,B 9 units delivered in A-B-B sets in December 1952
310L,A,B through 314L,A,B 15 units delivered in A-B-B sets in March 1953

In 1971, the 300 class was reconstituted for locomotives that would continue in Amtrak lease. This redesignation will be discussed below.

325 Class

The 325 Class was geared for a dual-service maximum speed of 85 mph and designated as "reserve locomotives" at major terminals, able to substitute on either freight or passenger trains or work passenger or freight extras. The Santa Fe ran extensive summer-season extra sections of its secondary passenger trains to accommodate travel agency charter business. These locomotives, painted in passenger colors, would have seen use on such trains in summer and holiday travel seasons and freight service at other times. Like the 37 and 300 classes, the A units carried boiler water tanks, and the B units carried steam generators. The 325 Class arrived as follows:

First 306L,A,B through first 312L,A,B 21 units delivered in A-B-B sets in May 1950
First 313L,A,B through first 316L,A,B 12 units delivered in A-B-B sets in June 1951

First 306L,A,B through first 316L,A,B were renumbered 325L,A,B through 335L,A,B in November 1952.

336L,A,B through 340L,A,B 15 units delivered in A-B-B sets in April and May 1953
341L,A through 344L,A 8 units delivered in A-B sets in April 1953

After 1973, some locomotives from the 300 class that were transferred out of Amtrak service were regeared and renumbered into the 325 class.

F7 Phases

F7 body production changes fall into two overall phases, logically enough Phase I and Phase II. However, not all changes occurred at the same time, and it appears that changes could be made on one group of units, and then a later group would revert back to a previous part, so it is essential to refer to dated photos of individual units for accuracy.
An early or "Phase I" F7 had a 36 inch dynamic brake fan, a two-foot wide Farr Air grille with horizontal slits on the top of the side, and horizontal slits on the body side louvers on the A units. In addition, the rear roof overhang on F units was eliminated, though not consistently, during F7 production. Approximate dates for Phase I were November 1948 to November 1951.
37L,A,B,C through 41L,A,B,C; 300L,A,B through 305L,A,B; and 325L,A,B through 335L,A,B were Phase I units, delievered with the horizontal grilles and louvers, although many units were retrofitted with Farr Air vertical slit grilles. In addition, these units all had the roof overhang and 36 inch dynamic brake fans.
A late or "Phase II" F7 had a 48 inch dynamic brake fan, a vertical slit grille on the top of the side, and vertical slits for the body side louvers on the A units. Approximate dates for Phase II were November 1951 to December 1953. Santa Fe units not listed as Phase I above were Phase II.
However, the Santa Fe swapped components like side panels and dynamic brake fans extensively when the locomotives were shopped, so very few F7s wound up as "pure" representatives of their phase after several trips to the shop.

Detail Changes

There were relatively few detail changes during the life of the warbonnet F7s. As noted, many had their original horizontal bar grilles replaced with vertical-slit grilles. In the early 1960s, much of the skirt above the fuel tanks was removed. Also about 1960, all A units were equipped with nose MU, which meant small doors on each side of the upper headlight and MU air hoses on the pilot. When units were equipped with radio, they received antennas on the rear of the roof, often on the centerline. The antennas were most commonly the firecracker or the can style. Five-chime horns replaced the single-tone horns. Switchmen's steps were added to the pilots of many units. About 1960 a grab iron ladder was added to the right side of the noses of A units. About 1969 spark arrestors were added above the exhaust stacks.
In general, a modeler starting with a factory-painted unit will be forced to detail it for its first few years in service, before the horizontal grilles were replaced by vertical Farr Air grilles, which means leaving off nose ladder and MU, leaving the skirts over the fuel tank intact, and using the single-chime air horns.

Service History

The Santa Fe was noted for long stretches of running where speeds over 100 mph were authorized, and it retained an extensive fleet of passenger trains until the late 1960s. As a result, the passenger F7s remained in their intended service longer than equivalent locomotives on many other railroads. Through the 1950s matched A-B-B-A sets were typically seen on the Super Chief, El Capitan, Chief, Grand Canyon, Fast Mail, and San Francisco Chief. A-B-B sets were more common on the Texas Chief, Golden Gates, San Diegans, and other trains. A-B sets could be found on Williams-Phoenix, La Junta-Denver, and Texas trains. Single A units did not normally operate, since the steam generators were needed for both heating and air conditioning, and they were in the B units. However, single A units did rarely operate in combination with steam generator cars. In all cases but the Super Chief (which seemed to keep F3s in any case), the F7s could alternate with PA-1s.

As passenger trains were consolidated and cut in the 1960s, a fifth unit often appeared in many consists of F7s, either as an additional B unit or as an extra A unit in the lead, running elephant style with a second A unit. The additional units were for reliability as well as power, and the extra A unit ran in the front position specifically to allow it to be removed from the point and switched out quickly, with the second A unit available pointing forward right behind it, in case of failure. By the late 1950s all the passenger F7s had been upgraded with nose MU to allow either nose-to-back operation or nose-to-nose, so that it was sometimes possible to see large A-B-B-A-A-B-B-A consists of F7s (and occasionally mixed F7s and PA/B-1s) on power-balancing moves at the head of some passenger trains.
The appearance of the F7s was a point of pride for the Santa Fe through the end of passenger service, and the silver paint on the pilots and running gear of the locomotives was touched up at intermediate stations as part of the servicing process. As a result, some photos show overspray in these areas. However, other than exhaust marks on the roofs, the units were kept very clean.
Units from the 325 class were not needed for passenger service after the 1971 Amtrak takeover. Seven A units were repainted with blue in the areas that had previously been red on the "warbonnet" scheme. These were 325L, 327L, 328L, 332L, 335L, 338L, and 343L. Others were immediately converted to CF7s. As 300 class units came off Amtrak lease, they were renumbered into the 325 class and sometimes received yellow warbonnets at that time. Retirements and CF7 conversions continued through 1974.

Renumbering and Amtrak Lease

Although Amtrak dropped the San Francisco Chief, the Tulsan, and the Grand Canyon on its inception in May 1971, it retained the Super Chief/El Capitan, the Texas Chief, and the San Diegans. Since Amtrak did not have enough locomotives of its own, it leased F units from the Santa Fe for the continued service, and for some time Amtrak trains looked like their Santa Fe equivalents.
To provide locomotives for Amtrak lease, the 300 Class, which had been depleted by retirements, was augmented in April and May 1971 with sixteen units renumbered from 16 class F3s and twenty-five units renumbered from 37 class F7s, for a total of 30 cabs and 44 boosters. Twelve units were renumbered into vacant positions created by retirements, but others were renumbered above the previous 300 class series. In addition, new A unit numbers were added for 300C-314C, creating A-B-B-A set numbers with "C" units that had not previously existed in the 300 class. The renumberings can make checking details on units in late photographs misleading.
Due to the declining reliability of the ageing F7s, as many as six units could be seen on the Super Chief/El Capitan under Amtrak operation.
Two A units, 315L and 304L, that went into Amtrak lease were repainted with yellow "warbonnet" noses and blue Santa Fe cigar band heralds. A single B unit, 319B, was also painted with a yellow stripe at the bottom of the side for Amtrak service.
The new 300 class units were withdrawn from Amtrak service for conversion to CF7s beginning in January 1973. As each unit was withdrawn from Amtrak lease, it was renumbered into the 325 class. All leased units were withdrawn from Amtrak service by July 1973. Additional red nosed units were repainted with yellow noses once they left Amtrak service and were regeared and renumbered to the 325 class.

Preserved Unit

F7A 347C, ex-306C, ex-39C, was added to the Santa Fe's collection of preserved locomotives in 1975, along with F3B 347B, ex-307B, ex-35A. In the late 1980s it was given a cosmetic restoration to its original red-nosed warbonnet livery and used by the Santa Fe for publicity purposes. It was subsequently donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it is on display.

HO Scale Model F7s

All current "hobby quality" factory-painted Santa Fe F7s follow Phase I details. While about half the warbonnet fleet was delivered with Phase I details, they did not retain them for long. In particular, many had the Phase I horizontal grilles, a major spotting feature, replaced by Farr-Air vertical slit grilles. Modelers consensus seems to be that the 325 class retained its Phase I features the longest, so the most likely numbers for a factory-painted Phase I Santa Fe warbonnet F7 would be 325L,A,B through 335L,A,B. This applies to all the factory-painted models discussed below.

Athearn

The Athearn F7 was introduced about 1950, one of the first successful plastic model trains, and possibly the most successful HO model locomotive of all time. The die work is now about 50 years old. Over the years, original imperfections in the roof curve and windshield shape have become more apparent. However, no successor has replaced the Athearn model at an equivalent price. The model can be brought to a still-acceptable level of detail with extensive rework and addition of aftermarket parts. An example is shown in the Hoover reference below.
The version as factory painted for Santa Fe is minimally acceptable and could serve as a means of extending a train set into the start of a scale Santa Fe-based layout. One or more Athearn F7As and Bs would be a potentially good first choice for a locomotive, although the tasks needed for remounting couplers and rewiring the loco for better appearance and reliability fall into the intermediate skill level.
Athearn has announced its intent to provide an upgraded drive with assembled and painted Highliners bodies as a premium version of its F7. Due to continued problems with the Highliners tooling, this project is not complete as of this writing.

Intermountain

Intermountain has introduced plastic body kits for Phase I F7A and B units, including factory-painted kits for Santa Fe. Intermountain promises powered chassis to follow. The body is also designed to fit Athearn and Stewart chassis. The body kit alone costs roughly what a first-run Stewart F7 cost for both the body and chassis, so this is not an inexpensive or quick solution. The detail is more complete and correct than on any previously released F7, however, and the factory painted Santa Fe version reproduces the distinctive difference in appearance between the silver-painted side panels and the stainless steel side panels on the Santa Fe A units.

Mantua

Mantua offers an F7A generally comparable to the basic Athearn unit, but more difficult to find. The die work on the body appears to be very similar to the Athearn die work. Earlier versions, which may be found at swap meets, had a single power truck that did not run well. More recent versions have an 8-wheel drive power chassis that is probably comparable to other drives in its price range. The Athearn unit is a better choice in this price range, whether you are evaluating a unit at a swap meet or in a store.

Model Rectifier Corporation

Model Rectifier Corporation has begun advertising its own F7A during 2000, stressing an advanced chassis and some metal parts on the body. This had not been released as of this writing, and it is difficult to determine whether the pre-production samples in the ads represent what will actually be on the market. However, detail on the truck sideframes in ads appears to be shallow, and units that should have two headlights have only one.

Revell

Revell briefly produced an F7A about 1960. The die work was not as good as Athearn's, and the chassis was mostly plastic and ran poorly, if at all. While Revell F7s can sometimes be found at swap meets, there is a Revell cult that bids up the prices of F7s in good condition well beyond their value as models. In this price range, an Athearn unit is always preferable.

Stewart

Stewart Hobbies introduced a series of F3 through F9 A and B units in the early 1990s. These were made by Kato in Japan, and while modelers had minor quibbles with the die work, their detail and operational qualities were among the best ever produced. Among the versions issued by Stewart were F7As and Bs in Phase I and Phase II variations. Only Phase I were painted for Santa Fe.
In 1999 Stewart repatriated the F unit tooling from Kato and began re-issuing the models. In the meantime, Intermountain and Highliners have raised the bar for detail on F units, providing greater delicacy and see-through fans and grilles. Stewart units now appear to be sold in powered A-dummy B unit combinations, factory painted. This is less cost effective for some people than the old one unit, always powered way of selling. Nevertheless, for a consistent standard of detail, operation, durability, and ease of assembly, Stewarts continue to be a very good, middle-of-the-road approach to modeling F units. Stewart also now sells separate power chassis for use with other body kits, like Intermountain and Highliners.

References


  1. Berglund, Lee, et al. "Santa Fe F-Unit HO Scale Models Commercially Available." Flyer distributed at a clinic at NMRA National Convention, Long Beach, CA, 1996; reprint from unspecified issue of Santa Fe Modeler.
  2. Dover, Don. "All About F's" Extra 2200 South, January, 1970, pp.19-21.
  3. Edmonson, Harold. Journey to Amtrak. Milwaukee, WI, Kalmbach Books, 1972. No ISBN.
  4. Hoover, Gary. "Repainted Santa Fe F Units in HO Scale." Model Railroader, June, 1999, pp. 120-122.
  5. McMillan, Joe. Santa Fe's Diesel Fleet. Burlingame, CA, Chatham Publishing Company, 1975. No ISBN.
  6. McMillan, Joe. Santa Fe Motive Power. Woodridge, IL, McMillan Publications, 1985. ISBN 0-934228-08-6.
  7. Russell, William, with Ziegenhorn, Roger. "A Look at Detailing Santa Fe's Covered Wagons." Santa Fe Prototype Modeler, March-April, 1977, pp. 4-10.
  8. Schafer, Mike. "Little Chiefs of the Santa Fe." Prototype Modeler, August 1986, pp. 21-25.
  9. Wilson, Jeff. "Modeler's guide to EMD's F7." Model Railroader, April 2000, p. 84.
  10. Worley, E.D. Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail. 2nd printing. Dallas, TX: Southwest Railroad Historical Society, 1975. No ISBN.

Updated: 31st July 2000
Author: John Bruce, Los Angeles, Ca, USA (EMail: j.bruce@gte.net)