11x14" b&w photo~1953?~DL&W EMD GP-7 diesel locomotive~Denville NJ train station

Description

11x14" b&w photo~1953?~DL&W EMD GP-7 diesel locomotive~Denville NJ train station~1940s cars
Photography by Gene Collora,
a longtime railroad photographer. Copyrighted. Reproduction forbidden.
The Delaware, Lackawanna & Westerm purchased five GP-7 locomotives, numbers 966 – 970 in 1953.
The EMD GP7 is a four-axle (B-B) diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October 1949 and May 1954.
The GP7 was the first EMD road locomotive to use a hood unit design instead of a car-body design. This proved to be more efficient as the hood unit cost less to build, was cheaper and easier to maintain, and had much better front and rear visibility for switching.
The Electro-Motive GP7 series was built for both freight and passenger use and would become one of the most success diesel locomotive designs ever built. The locomotive was so reliable and well-built that many remain in service with short lines today. The locomotive had an added incentive in that along with being able to handle practically any type of freight service with its 1,500-horsepower rating, the GP7's overall car body design was also attractive enough to be used in many types of passenger service, although the model offered no type of streamlining. Through 1954 the model sold an astounding 2,700+ units and is widely credited with completing main line dieselization, relegating most remaining steam locomotives to branch line, yard, and short line work.
DL&W GP7 970 still exists as a slug.
It went through ownership, numbering and paint scheme changes from DL&W 970, EL 1409, CR 5929, ATSF 1108:2, ATSF 108:4 and currently is BNSF 3957, a yard slug working the Cargill Salt Mine in Hutchinson, KS.
In railroading, a slug is a version of a diesel-electric locomotive which lacks a prime mover, and often a cab. It derives the electrical power needed to operate its traction motors and motor controls from a fully-powered mother locomotive. When coupled together it provides additional horsepower and braking without the expense of a full locomotive. A yard slug is designed for switching, and therefore is built to increase visibility in low-speed operation. It has a low body and no cab, allowing the engineer or driver in the powered unit to see past it.
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