Question on F2, F3, F7s on B&M

[rfranzosa]

Question on F2, F3, F7s on B&M:

It is difficult to find roof photos of F2, F3 and F7s.

I have found no evidence of dynamic brakes on any of these units, is that the case?

I have only found a few photos of F3B and F7B units, were they ALL steam generator equipped?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Rick Franzosa

[bmcdr]

F-2's 4224 - 4226 and F-3's 4227 - 4228 were purchased for passenger service, all 5 of the A units had dynamic brakes, all 5 of the B units had dynamic brakes and steam generators.
F-7's 4265 - 4268 were purchased for freight service, but found their way into summer passenger service early in their careers. They were not built with steam generators, but some of the B units were retrofitted with steam generators in the 1960's to work on the "Ambassador" and "Montrealer" - "Washingtonian" service from Springfield,Mass. to White River Jct.,Vt. until those trains were abolished in 1966. Both the F-7a's and F-7b's had dynamic brakes when built, but had them removed and the hatch blanked over sometime in the late 1960's - early 1970's.

[rfranzosa]

F-2's 4224 - 4226 and F-3's 4227 - 4228 were purchased for passenger service, all 5 of the A units had dynamic brakes, all 5 of the B units had dynamic brakes and steam generators.
F-7's 4265 - 4268 were purchased for freight service, but found their way into summer passenger service early in their careers. They were not built with steam generators, but some of the B units were retrofitted with steam generators in the 1960's to work on the "Ambassador" and "Montrealer" - "Washingtonian" service from Springfield,Mass. to White River Jct.,Vt. until those trains were abolished in 1966. Both the F-7a's and F-7b's had dynamic brakes when built, but had them removed and the hatch blanked over sometime in the late 1960's - early 1970's.

Couldn't ask for more than that, THANKS!

Rick

[Stephen]

bmcdr wrote:
F-2's 4224 - 4226 and F-3's 4227 - 4228 were purchased for passenger service, all 5 of the A units had dynamic brakes, all 5 of the B units had dynamic brakes and steam generators.
F-7's 4265 - 4268 were purchased for freight service, but found their way into summer passenger service early in their careers. They were not built with steam generators, but some of the B units were retrofitted with steam generators in the 1960's to work on the "Ambassador" and "Montrealer" - "Washingtonian" service from Springfield,Mass. to White River Jct.,Vt. until those trains were abolished in 1966. Both the F-7a's and F-7b's had dynamic brakes when built, but had them removed and the hatch blanked over sometime in the late 1960's - early 1970's.

Couldn't ask for more than that, THANKS!

Yes, Mr. Hutchinson is very good for that great level of detail! His knowledge and willingness to share it is always greatly appreciated.

[b&m 1566]

Why were the dynamic brakes removed from the F7's? Since the 4266 is still in operation, I wonder if it would be possible for the dynamics to be reinstalled; the folks at Conway Scenic could sure use it!

[bmcdr]

The exact year escapes me, perhaps someone out there can remember the incident, there was a huge derailment inside Hoosac Tunnel that was caused by dynamic braking, ever since that day the B&M didn't seem too keen on dynamic brakes.

[jaymac]

Back in the late '70s or very early '80s, in the friendlier-to-fans Dustin administration, there was an organized Saturday tour of Billerica. A shop official -- name long forgotten -- said, in a response to a question about dynamics, that they were being disconnected to save money on maintenance. Given where we were, I think we all assumed it was power maintenance being discussed, but unspoken tunnel/wreck maintenance might have been folded into the official's response, too.
A check on the web of the DOT ICC rail accident archives between 1969 and 1983 shows only the 1981 Beverly accident, perhaps because fatality might have been a reporting requirement for the ICC.

[TomNelligan]

I remember that big Hoosac Tunnel derailment too, but not an exact date beyond a roughly late 1960s timeframe. Cleanup crews referred to the tunnel as the "boxcar mine" because of all the wrecked cars they were pulling out of it. B&M freight had to be rerouted for a couple weeks while the line was closed.

[jaymac]

The cover of the Winter 1980-81 B&M Bulletin has a Donald S. Robinson photo of Bluebirds on the Ludlow, Vt., trestle during a temporary rerouting following, according to the p.2 caption, a "...wreck inside the east end of the Hoosac Tunnel." Further, the caption gives the photo's date as February 26, 1967, without a "boxcar mine" reference 13 or so years later.
That I could find, the frequently-talked-about "boxcar mine" hasn't made its way to Google or the B&MRRHS forum or links, either.
If someone with good knowledge of the "boxcar mine" incident could get that posted, the rest of us would have a firmer connection with reality. (In my case, that's highly conditional.) Thanks!

[bmcdr]

February 1967 was indeed the month and year of the infamous "boxcar mine" derailment inside Hoosac Tunnel, I found referance to it in an article by Carl Byron in B&MRRHS Bulletin Vol.2 No.1 of 1972.

[jaymac]

bmcdr-
TNX!

[NRGeep]

Were there other detour routes besides the Ludlow re-route durring the Hoosac cleanup?

[Engineer Spike]

What was the number of single F2a units used to split up the FT sets?

[bmcdr]

Built in 1946, they were 4250 - 4264.

[b&m 1566]

I was just browsing the internet and came across Wikipedia with some information about EMD - F7’s and noticed something different about the B&M F7 roster. Who ever put the page together states that B&M 4268 was originally EMD demonstrator 930, can anyone confirm this? Until now I was under the impression all F7's were purchased new in 1949 along with the F7b’s a year later.