Santa Fe zebra switchers

[Anonymous]

I can barely recall the black & white SF yard switchers from the late 1960's. These were SW or NW models. When did SF repaint these engs into the blue & yellow? What number series would these engs have been say around the 1970 time period?

[Trainnut484]

The Santa Fe only had three NW switchers, purchased around 1938, that were numbered 2350-2352 and renumbered 2400-2402 in 1945. Their first rebuilt came in 1959 by EMD as SW1200 numbered 2439-2441 and kept the Zebra scheme. It's possible they were repainted into the blue and yellow "bookend" scheme. Second rebuilt as SSB1200. Switchers that were not remanufactured yet into the SSB1200 program were placed in the 1400 series. Nbr 1441(renumbered from 2441) was one of few to receive the yellowbonnet prior to conversion into a SSB1200. It was then renumbered 1241.

Santa Fe had 15 NW2's numbered 2353-2367, renumbered 2403-2417, and were retired by mid 1972 except for 2416 working at the Cleburne shops. Three NW2's including 1416 (renumbered from 2416) were rebuilt into SSB1200's. The other two were pulled out of retirement. Some of the NW2's became slugs.

The 19 SW9's were rebuilt into the SSB1200 program, and along with the SW1200's, were renumbered in the 1220 series and painted in the yellowbonnet. Some of the SSB1200's went to Amtrak as partial trade for SDP40F's.

Santa Fe's four SC switchers were rebuilt as SW-900s. Only one survived into the early 1970s and was renumbered from 653 to 1153 in 1974 and had the blue/yellow "bookend" paint scheme. It was renumbered to 1453 in 1977 and retired in 1987. Also, it still wore the same paint in 1984.

Sorry if this is kinda long-winded, but Santa Fe had variations of NW and SW switchers whose careers stretched out in different directions.

Take care,

Russell

[SSW9389]

Application of the "Bookends" paint to the Santa Fe EMD switcher fleet would have started any time after 1959 if the unit needed a paint job. A quick review of Cinthia Priest's The Santa Fe Diesel Volume 1 showed me that some NW2s and SW9s did get the blue and yellow paint before rebuilding. Paint history of individual units would have to be researched through photographs.