This photo of FP7-A #1502 is credited to Alaska Railroad collection. It
was taken behind the ARR Anchorage shops on February 3, 1957 by William
A. Gibson Jr. This is the original passenger paint scheme.
Number 1502 later changed to this paint scheme
and then to this one. This locomotive was
acquired new in 1952 and later sold to a company in Finley, WA.
1502 was one of the units from the first order. 1500-1506 were ordered
direct from EMD. The first run of the new 1502 and 1503 Diesels were made
on a northbound freight in January 1953. On hand to see the engines
off were factory representatives, train enginemen and well-wishers.
On F7 units, all the even numbers are A units and all the odd numbers are
B units. An interesting note: If the Museum of Alaska Transportation and
Industry obtained 1503 and put it with the 1500 already on hand, they would
have the only F7 A&B set from the same order in the entire United States.
No. 1502 was involved in the Alaska Railroad's worst train wreck.
At 3:45 p.m. on July 5, 1975, freight train Extra 1502 South struck the
rear of passenger train No. 5 at MP 279.18 south of Hurricane. Collision
speed was approximately 25 miles per hour. No. 5 had stopped to permit
passengers of the train view Mt. McKinley. All cars of the passenger
train and the first four locomotive units of the freight train were derailed.
Sixty-two persons were injured, 23 were hospitalized and two of the injured
subsequently died. Dome car 10 was heavily damaged when the underframe
was buckled. The estimated cost of damages was over $558,000.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause
of the accident was the failure of the engineer of Extra 1502 South to
operate the braking system on the locomotive properly and the failure of
both traincrews to comply with railroad operating rules. The engineer
of No. 1502 was fired by the railroad and several other crewmen were suspended.
Oh, the mighty, how they have fallen! Number 1502 is now a restaurant.
Photo courtesy of The Durand Collection