Builder: EMD. Year Built: 1952

They were called F's, or covered wagons. For years they pulled every style of train, from the "Zephyrs" to the "Super Chiefs" to merchandise and local freights. Newer, bigger, more powerful locomotives made them obsolete. More than 7,600 were built by General Motors between 1939 and 1960. Of the thousands that were built, only a handful still exist today. The others were traded in or simply cut up for scrap.

Model: F7-a
Type: Diesel-Electric locomotive
Builder: General Motors,
Electro Motive Division (EMD),
LaGrange, IL
Serial Number: 16559 and 16561, respectively
Delivered: July, 1952

The Southern Pacific Railroad owned over 500 of these workhorses at one time. For roughly two decades these Black Widows dominated the SP system and the Sierras. The 6378 and 6380 are two late model EMD F-7a locomotives, built for and delivered to the Southern Pacific in July, 1952. The locomotives saw service over the entire system and still retain their classic snow plow pilots from their days of battling the harsh winters in the Sierras.

With the introduction of the 3000 horsepower model SD-40's in 1966, the end came soon for the classic F-7's over Donner Pass. The 6378 and 6380 were part of a group traded to General Electric for new units in the late 1960's. Luckily GE did not scrap these units as was the fate of 1000's of others. GE resold a group of these units, including these two, to the Salzberg Family who owned a number or shortline railroads. Now most have disappeared, yet two of them escaped the cutting torch, tucked away in a remote corner of the US. Last used in Northern Louisiana by a shortline railroad, these locomotives toiled in relative obscurity, until recently, today they stand idle.

The units were sent to the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton (WAG) railroad in Upstate New York and became their numbers WAG 2100 and WAG 2000, respectively. In August 1969, the units were transferred to the Louisiana and North West Railroad (L&NW) and became their numbers 46 and 45 ,respectively. The units were in service up to several years ago and have remained "stored serviceable".

Now it's time to bring these classic units home to Northern California where they belong. Please consider helping the Golden Gate Railroad Museum with the preservation of these two locomotives.