Santa Fe CF7

Santa Fe CF7
Locomotive #517, a CF7, was the main power on the Commonwealth Railway in Suffolk, Virginia.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD); rebuilt by Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, Cleburne, Texas shops Model CF7 Rebuild date February 1969/1970 – 1978 Number rebuilt 233
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B  • UIC Bo′Bo′ Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m) Loco weight 249,000 pounds (113 t) Prime mover EMD 16-567BC Engine type 2-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots blower Displacement 9,072 cu in (148.7 liters) Cylinders V16 Cylinder size 8.5 in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm) Transmission DC generator, DC traction motors Loco brake Straight air Train brakes 26 L air on later units, 24RL on earlier units
Performance figures Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h) Power output 1,750 hp (1,300 kW) Tractive effort 62,250 lbf (276.9 kN)
Career Locale North America

The Santa Fe CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's Cleburne, Texas, workshops between February 1970 and 1978.^[1][2] This was Santa Fe's most notable remanufacturing project, with 233 completed between 1970 - March 1978.^[3] The program was initiated in response to a system-wide need for more than 200 additional four-axle diesel road switchers to meet projected motive power demands on branch lines and secondary main lines.

Santa Fe's aging fleet of F7 units were approaching retirement age in 1970. These units were remanufactured into switchers and named CF7. Santa Fe used them for a decade and sold many of them to short lines around the states. Many of those were still being used as of 2003.^[4]