The F7 was EMD’s 1,500 hp cab unit built between 1949 and 1953, succeeding the F3 and preceding the F9. It used the 16-567B prime mover, a D12 generator and four traction motors on Blomberg B trucks. Although sold primarily for freight, many railways equipped F7s for passenger service and they could run at sustained main line speeds when geared appropriately. Externally, late F3s and early F7s are near indistinguishable. The F7’s key improvements were internal, chiefly in the electrical gear and a higher continuous tractive effort rating. Railways bought them in large numbers because they were reliable, easy to keep in traffic and versatile in use.
Allagash Railway
The Allagash took delivery of its first F7s in late 1951 as part of a wider move to standardise on EMD four-motor power. Finished in Spruce Green with Deluxe Gold lettering, they matched the contemporary corporate style and immediately took charge of heavy freights across the system. Several were equipped with steam generators and could cover the final passenger duties when needed. Most were surrendered in trade for new GP38s during the late 1960s, leaving only a handful to work into the following decade. A few received fresh green repaints, but by the end of the 1970s the type was effectively sidelined. The last examples were gone by April 1980, leaving a solitary F3 as the final cab unit on the roster.
| No. | Built | Serial | Livery | Notes | Photographs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 601 | Late 1951 | – | Spruce Green & Deluxe Gold (green dip) | On roster into 1970s; believed stored/deadline by 1980 | |
| 602 | Late 1951 | – | Repainted solid green; later with modern herald | Home-road repaint; likely retired by late 1970s | |
| 603 | Late 1951 | – | Spruce Green & Deluxe Gold | Standard F7A; traded out or retired in the 1970s | |
| 604 | Late 1951 | – | Spruce Green & Deluxe Gold | Standard F7A; traded out or retired in the 1970s | |
| 607 | Late 1951 | – | Solid green, old herald | One of the last active Allagash F7s; effectively withdrawn by 1980 |
Epilogue
Across North America the F7 became the face of first-generation diesel power. On the Allagash the type bridged the gap between early ALCO road switchers and the GP38 era, hauling heavy freights through the 1950s and into the 1960s before ceding the front line to second-generation EMDs. By 1980 their work was done. For modellers, the Allagash F7s offer the full range of presentation: as-delivered green dip, later repaints, and careworn survivors on the deadline. They remain evocative of a time when a cab unit and a long cut of boxcars defined the look of a Maine main line.