Between 1970 and March 1978, Santa Fe’s Cleburne Shops converted 132 of its aging but classic streamlined EMD F7 locomotives to a hood unit configuration better suited for switching and low speed operation in yards and branch lines. Early rebuilds retained the rounded cab roof of the original carbody, whereas later units sported an all-new angular cab fabricated from scratch. After retirement from the Santa Fe in the late 1980s, numerous CF7s found their way to short lines, grain and industrial operations and even to Amtrak for switching.
Now arriving at your favorite dealer are highly detailed CF7s offered in five different cab variations, two different long hoods, two different sills combined with a precision drive mechanism with working headlights, ground lights, stepwell lights, number boards and beacons where applicable.
The first CF7s retained the original rounded roofline of the F-unit cab like engine 2472 above. Every HO scale Rapido CF7 hosts a long list of LED-enabled lighting, including illuminated directional headlights, ground lights, stepwell lights at all four corners, number boards, cab interior “dome” light and rooftop beacons and/or white and red class lights where applicable.
Liveries for this inaugural run of CF7s include Santa Fe (pinstripe or yellow warbonnet), Los Angeles Junction (with ditch lights), Amtrak (2 schemes), Maryland & Pennsylvania (yellow/black), Washington Central (red/black), Santa Fe (fantasy versions in Bicentennial or Kodachrome) and unlettered CF7s painted in ex-ATSF patched out yellow warbonnet, and solid yellow or orange.
DC/DCC-ready silent Rapido CF7s carry a suggested retail price of $249.95 while DC+DCC+Sound versions are $359.95 MSRP. Available now while supplies last at your dealer or direct.
Rapido Trains, 500 Alden Road, Unit 21 Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5, Canada;1-855-572-6917; rapidotrains.com
By the early 1980s, many CF7 rebuilds received a squarish angular cab such as the 2506 above along with a modern control stand for the engineer. Some earlier CF7s were also retrofitted with the angular “Topeka” style cab later in life. Every Rapido CF7 also includes durable rubber MU hoses and flexible cut levers that will stand up to daily operation on a model railroad layout.
