Burlington Route Historical Society

EMD model F7(The F-unit roster text by Jim Sandrin, from BRHS Bulletin #4, THE GRAYBACKS Š1982 Burlington Route Historical Society)  Click on photos and diagrams to see larger size.
In May 1950, the CB&Q proper acquired its only F7's — 10 A's and three B's. These units had a 36" dynamic brake fan ahead of the four radiator fans, thus differentiating them from the Phase IV F3's. Nine of the F7's were numbered as three-unit A/B/A sets 167-169, while the other four A's were 163A through 166A.

CB&Q F7 #169A in Aurora, IL, probably mid-1960s. You can see the original ABA unit below.  (courtesy Jan Kohl/Castle Graphics)
With delivery of the F7's, the last two four-unit F3 sets were broken up and reassembled with the single F7 A-units to form three unit F3-A/F3-B/F7-A sets 163 through 166. The renumbering went as follows:

    137A to 163C
    
    138A to 165C
  
    137B to 163B
    
    137B to 165B
  
    137C to 164B
    
    138C to 166B
  
    137D to 164C
    
    138D to 166C
  
The units in these F3-F7 sets matched well. The only outwardly visible difference between them being in the rooftop dynamic brakes. From the ground, the 163-166 sets appeared identical to the "pure" F7 sets, 167-169.
In August 1950, subsidiaries Colorado & Southern and Fort Worth & Denver both acquired their first F-units—A/B/B/A F7 sets decked out in all the stock Q options but numbered and sublettered for their owners. The C&S sets were 700 through 702, while the FW&D units were 750 through 752.
The C&S and FW&D units turned out to be the Burlington's last F-unit purchases. In 1951 the Q switched to the GP7 (two full years after its introduction! and never bought another carbody-type unit. 

FW&D's first F7 set, #750, seen here at Lincoln on their first run on Aug 20, 1950.  (Al Holck)
One of the last of the three F7 sets on the CB&Q, #169 prepares to pull a westbound out of Clyde on Feb 9th, 1952. (Bruce Black)
The final F7 set to go to the C&S, seen here in Lincoln, NE in 1952.  The motors have recieved a letter designation since the drawbars have been replaced with couplers. (Al Holck)

    Number 
    blt.date 
    Serial # 
    Renumber 
    disp.date 
    description 
    notes 
  
    164A
    5/50
    9693
     
    2/69
     
    6
  
    165A
    5/50
    9694
     
    2/69
     
    6
  
    166A
    5/50
    9695
     
    2/69
     
    6
  
    167A
    5/50
    9696
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #167
     
    167B
    5/50
    9702
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #167
     
    167C
    5/50
    9697
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #167
     
    168A
    5/50
    9698
     
    8/70
    1 unit of ABA set #168
     
    168B
    5/50
    9703
     
    1/69
    1 unit of ABA set #168
     
    168C
    5/50
    9699
     
    8/70
    1 unit of ABA set #168
     
    169A
    5/50
    9700
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #169
     
    169B
    5/50
    9704
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #169
    8
  
    169C
    5/50
    9701
     
    2/69
    1 unit of ABA set #169
     
Footnotes6. F-3 number series 137 through 138 were broken up and renumbered in 1950 and combined with 4 F-7's to produce F-3-7 series 163 through 166. The F-3 series 137, for example, became F-3-7 163, using an F7 (later renumbered 163A) and F-3 137 (using the ''A" and " B" units), and F-3-7 164, using an F-7 and F-3 137 ("C" and "D" ), and so on.
8. Modified with a square hostler window and controls added
Content Š2007 BRHS