B&M Passenger equipped GP-7s

B&M fitted some GP-7s with steam generators and auxiliary water tanks at the rear of the long hood (this made for an interesting blockiness at the rear of the locomotive). What road numbers were modified this way and are any good pictures available?

The steam generators fit entirely inside the hood. All the GP-7s had steam generators. The boxes contained train lighting equipment.
according to Jim VanBokkelen,
1563-1577 were delivered with the train-lighting boxes; 1555-1562 were delivered without, but 1555,1556, and 1558 later received them,
leaving 1557, 1559, 60 61, and 62 as the only ones never to have them.
there are about 50 pictures of B&M GP-7s here: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bm/bm-loco.html
hundreds more here possibly not all that are in there, try other searches http://photos.nerail.org/ .

All the GP-7s had steam generators.

While the steam generator does fit entirely in the short hood, many B&M GP-7s show no outward signs of having had steam generators (normally the water filling point and exhaust are visible such as in the photo linked below):
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=284467
Does this mean that the steam generators were removed from some units, perhaps retrofitted to other locomotives?

It's quite possible, though I counldnt locate a reference to prove it.
odd, since the removal of steam generators from the F units seems to be well documented.
Hopefully Dave Hutchinson will be along to enlighten us.

btw, the CNJ and the C&NW also got GP7s with those trainlighting boxes.

Dave and Scott Whitney know more about this than I do (Scott supplied some of the data on my site), but AFAIK all the GP-7s still had their steam generator intake/exhaust when they received the "blue dip" paint between 1968 and 1980. Major rebuilding post-1980 might have included this change, as the 1800 GP-9 rebuilds had their dynamic brake blisters blanked (dynamics hadn't been maintained since about 1969).

Eliphaz wrote:It's quite possible, though I counldnt locate a reference to prove it.
odd, since the removal of steam generators from the F units seems to be well documented.
Hopefully Dave Hutchinson will be along to enlighten us.

Sorry I'm late, been on vacation paintin' the house.

As has already been said, some GP-7's were equipped with the train lighting equipment as built by EMD and some were retrofitted by the B&M at Billerica Shops. 1557 - 1559 - 1560 never got train lighting equipment and were used mostly up country on the Conn River for local passenger work hauling generator and battery equipped cars. The train lighting equipment was used exclusively in the Boston commuter service along with steam generator to provide heat, as the Budd RDC's bumped more and more of the Geeps from commuter service, the steam generators were removed from all but a handful that were kept active for Conn River trains and the ever popular summer "Camp Trains" to Maine. A lot of the Geeps kept their steam generator roof fittings, but they were plated over or sometimes removed altogether, I guess it depended on how energetic the guys removing the stuff were at the time. I have many shots in my collection showing plated over fittings still on the roof even in the late 1970's, but you almost always saw the water fill plated over.

Thats exactly what I was looking for. Thank you to everyone who replied! I am slowly trying to fill in my knowlege gaps on B&M equipment.

Well, you keep asking the questions, and I'll keep posting the photos and answering the questions as best I can. My father and I both worked for the Boston & Maine and we both carried or cameras with us when we went to work. He started taking pictures in 1946 and I started in 1970.

I spent my early years living across Mascoma Lake from the Northern but only have a very vague memory of when the line was briefly used in the early 80s due to the issue on the Connecticut River line. Its great that people like you are willing to share your experiences and photo collections with those of us who missed out on first hand knowlege.

bmcdr wrote:Well, you keep asking the questions, and I'll keep posting the photos and answering the questions as best I can. My father and I both worked for the Boston & Maine and we both carried or cameras with us when we went to work. He started taking pictures in 1946 and I started in 1970.

That's great! Do you have any sites dedicated to pictures? Are your pictures published at all? I'm fascinated by the B&M. Fond memories of watching B&M trains and wish my kids could see them.

hat's off to our associate, Mr. Hutchinson.

http://bmcdr.rrpicturearchives.net/

Eliphaz wrote:hat's off to our associate, Mr. Hutchinson.

http://bmcdr.rrpicturearchives.net/

WOW! Thank you!

Eliphaz wrote:hat's off to our associate, Mr. Hutchinson.

http://bmcdr.rrpicturearchives.net/

You might want to check out the new album I've added at the site listed above, its called "Classic Conn River".

Hutch,

Where was the middle picture above taken? I see some NYC units in the background.

DAW

130MM wrote:Hutch,

Where was the middle picture above taken? I see some NYC units in the background.

DAW

That photo was taken at Cleveland,Ohio in July of 1965, a few GP-7's were leased to the New York Central that year to help out with a power shortage.