I agree with Charlie. I grew up in Downers Grove a block north of the
commuter yard. I don't think a GP7 ever operated in Q commuter
service. Keep in mind, the first GP7 wasn't even delivered to the Q
until September, 1951. Q was already well into dieselizing the
commuter service by then and would complete the process a year later
in September, 1952. The first double deck cars entered service in
1950. The first diesels in commuter service were E-5s and E-7s and
first appeared coincidentally with the gallery cars . As Charlie
indicates, some of the shovel nose Zephyr units also were used
briefly in commuter service. There is a photo of #9904 sitting on the
DG turntable during that period. I suspect that they were only
assigned to off hour trains. In this same time period, 1950 - 1952,
at least four hudsons were modified with larger electrical generators
and used in commuter service.
Besides the lack of electrical capacity for the commuter service, the
GP7s would also have had a difficult time maintaining rush hour
schedules with their 62:15 gear ratio and their 1500 h.p. engines (E
units had 2000 h.p. or more providing 500 h.p. per traction motor
while the GP7 could only provide 375 h.p.) As E8s and E9s became
available, they were favored for commuter service because their
higher h.p. per motor offered improved acceleration and a quicker
ability to reach track speed. Q's commuter schedules were and are
very demanding.
While the Q had 90 GP7s and 9s and 75 SD7s and 9s equipped with steam
generators, I suspect that they were under utilized in passenger
service. There generally were plenty of E units available and the
productivity of the GP and SD units was probably far more effective
in freight service.
Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO
On May 1, 2010, at 3:52 AM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> Re: SD's and GP's in passenger service?
> Posted by: "cvlk" cvlk@comcast.net n_cbqguy
> Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:31 pm (PDT)
>
>
>
> Geeps would have seen very limited usage on Dinkeys..... the steam
> generator
> was not the problem.... electricity for the car lighting was.
> C&NW had special generators on their commuter GPs and SDs..... and
> Q Steam
> had oversized/multiple generators to develop the electricity for
> lighting.
> The first diesels were E7s (maybe even E-5s got into the act) but
> the EAs
> (TCZ and DZ Shovelnoses) were used in that service briefly. The GPs
> were
> used
> quite a bit on the Galesburg local and other secondary trains....
> both in
> Blackbird and Chinese Red. There is a tape of Zimmerman films that
> have
> quite a few
> shots of them in action.
> Brings up the old rumor that FM Trainmasters were seriously
> considered for
> the Commuter Service to the point a rendering of one in CB&Q paint was
> prepared (supposedly on a train crossing the DesPlaines at
> Riverside) but
> due to some ill-feelings towards FM due to a Mechanical Department
> guy being
> "stolen" to work for them it never happened. There is, however, a film
> that someone has of an FM H10-44 demonstrator working Western
> Avenue Yard
> and an AFE for the fuel costs for the unit floating around.
> Charlie Vlk
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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