CB&Q E7As

[BNSF4ever]

I have two HO scale CB&Q EMD E7s. I have found that the prototypes were built in 1945. What Burlington Route passenger trains were E7s assigned to and when were they withdrawn?

[passengerfan]

The CB&Q assigned the E7 units to just about every CB&Q Zephyr that operated as well as numbered trains such as those that ran between Lincoln and Billings, MT. They first appeared on the heavyweight trains until such Zephyrs as the Vista Dome Twin Zephyrs appeared they also appeared on the Nebraska Zephyrs and later they were just pool car power operated with E8s and E9s on the American Royal Zephyr, California Zephyr and all other Zephyrs as well as the Chicago - Aurora commutes. Last regular long distance assignment I remember them on was the Lincoln - Billings and Denver - Billing heavyweight trains. The former in its final years appeared with a single Vista Dome in an otherwise all heavyweight consist. Hope this helps  TTFN Al

[daveklepper]

in between runs on the through trains, they regularly handled the Aurora - Chicago commuter train service on the three-track "race track."   There they operated with downgraded conventional coaches, some having an unusual light green, cream, and brown color scheme, and always with an arched-roof converted older commuter car that was rebuilt into a generator car since the Burlilngton commuter trains historically did not depend on axle-generators for lighting, but used a generator on the steam locomotive.   They also operated with the first Budd gallery cars.   They continued in this service, and many were converted to also provide head-end power and operated in push-pull service with gallery cars and gallery-cab-cars.   Few were painted into METRA colors because the E-8's (with which the E-7's had been used alsmost indescriminately) were the first to get the full METRA treatment.

[artpeterson]

Hi Dave -

You need to clarify your last sentence, as it could be taken to mean the ex-Q E7s were still around when Metra was formed in the mid-80s.  They were not around even for the start of the RTA in the mid-70s!  While it's true that the ex-Q E7s were still running on long-distance trains up til the end of BN-operated services, I don't recall seeing them used in Amtrak service, or even on the suburban service after that date.  The same was true for the ex-C&NW E7s, which were laid up with Amtrak's assumption of operating responsibility for intercity trains.

Art