Why would any company retro fit a f7b unit(this thing had to be cheap or abandoned at or near the haysi mines)for it tobe turned into a yard switcher?Wouldn't it really be more cost effective to pony up for a alco switcher loco or even some kind of road/rail unit,then this frankenstien mad scientist created switcher?(It must also have been a fuel guzzling beast)...
The Haysi Railroad was a terminal/switching railroad that owned and operated seven miles of track serving coal mines in and around Haysi, VA. [...] The unit was built in 1949 as an F3B for the Clinchfield Railroad as #852. It was rebuilt by EMD in 1952 to an F7B and then acquired by the Haysi in 1970. It was then equipped with radio controls and a makeshift cab in 1972. Probably because Clinchfield offered them a good price and it was available on the spot.
1st i do like the Haysi homebrew switcher,very inventive,but with 7 miles of track why wouldn't you get a real switcher.Would a real 2nd hand switcher cost that much more then a 2nd hand f7b unit?Unless the haysi mine owner was a partime train hobbist or just frugal(cheap).
Did a little bit more digging: apparently CRR had been using No. 250 as a switcher on the Haysi branch before they sold it outright to the "Haysi RR" (which only had one piece of rolling stock, that one). It seems that 250 did not have dynamic brakes, and after Clinchfield stopped passenger service they had no mainline use for it, thus deciding to use it as a switcher rather than just junk it.
That interesting,hmmm i wonder if the crr was the only RR to use a f7b as a switcher.Make one wonder what crr employee suggested doing this and what owner approved this out of the box thinking idea.
