GM&O E7 #103

[eolafan]

Yesterday, I watched the old 1967 movie "In the Heat of The Night" which featured GM&O E7 #103 in several shots early and late in the movie. Does anybody know if this unit is in a museum?

[AntonioFP45]

Eolafan,

Sadly, every E7 but one has been scrapped. The remaining unit is in the railroad museum in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. This ex-Pennsy unit was saved only because a couple of guys in the Conrail shop it was in were able to hide it during the time period when many vintage locos were being cut up.

Back in the 1970s, E units were not commonly looked at as units worth saving. Burlington Northern and Amtrak were still running them (E8s and E9s). For historical societies and railfan clubs, the emphasis was more on steamers and very early diesels. How ironic!

If it's any consolation, there are a bunch of E8s that have been preserved. A number of them are in good operating condition; though the common complaint from owners is that maintenance is expensive due to the twin 567 power plants.