my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

Southern Pacific SD7R

1500 - 1542

43 units rebuilt

Photo album of #1518 the first SD7

Surprisingly _no_ SD7R's were painted in the Kodachrome scheme...

© Lee Gautreax - #1520 on a hauler at City of Industry, CA.

see also SD7 Info page.

see also Image Library of SD7/9 Detail Shots.

see also Pix of 1518 in Denver.

Beginning 1979 and continuing thru to 1980, SP's Sacramento Locomotive Works rebuilt the SD7's into SD7R's.

Externally, which is all we modelers care about, the following changes took place:

1. No units kept their steam generators.
2. Most lost their dual tanks, if they hadn't all ready.
3. a full SP 5 light show was fitted both fore and aft - similar to a DW103 or made from DA1001, 1002, 1003.
4. definitely lost their rear numberboards, if they hadn't all ready.
5. a new electrical cabinet was fitted, which resulted in an 'umbrella' or 'hump' behind the cab. The length of which seem to vary between units - check photo's.
6. As with most diesel loco components, a cooling fan is a cooling fan. 1507 received a 'normal' 36" cap top dynamic fan and a flat top or high shroud type DA-2001. It also kept its non-standard fuel tank.
7. three units kept their dual fuel tanks, 1506, 1528 and 1533.
8. 1541 had the roadname stacked at the rear of the unit in Roman script.

According to Joe Strapac in Southern Pacific Historic Diesels Vol.4 all SD7's were rebuilt without dynamic brakes...

Note: Evidently all SD7R's had their dynamic brakes disabled. #1500 - 1529 simply had them disconnected. #1530 to #1542 had the dynamic brake components removed. Externally, some had just the fans removed, and the holes plated over, others had the fans and grids removed, with the holes plated over. They all retained the dynamic blister. Both books by Joe.W.Shine, and SP Historic Diesels Vol.4 by Joe Strapac have good photo's of these units.

References:

• SP 1987/88 Motive Power Pictorial by Joe.W.Shine, Page 103. - Photo's of these units.
• SP.....into the '90's by Joe.W.Shine, Pages 9 to 56, 186. - Well detailed history of the SP SD7's, plus heaps of photo's.
• Diesel Era Nov/Dec '95 Vol 6 No.6 Page 5, - Thorough History of all SD7's inc. SP, in 20 pages.
• Diesel Locomotive Cyc #2 Page 124 - SD7 Plans, Proto photo of SP 5333 - dual tanks, 'beer barrel headlight.
• Southern Pacific Historic Diesels Vol.4 SD7's and SD9's by Joe Strapac.