Chicago and Northwestern GP7 1518 Melrose Park IL 8-27-1963

Here's a shot of CNW GP7 1518 at the Proviso Diesel Shop in Melrose Park IL August 1963. The 1518 is a storied EMD GP7 as it was the first Geep built by EMD. The 1518 was built in October 1949 as EMD demonstrator 922, later renumbered to EMDX 100. CNW ended up purchasing the first three GP7 demonstrators, EMD 100, 200 and 300 in August and September 1950. These became CNW 1518-1520 and were rebuilt into GP7Rs 4311-4313 in 1972. The 4311 was restored and repainted back to 1518 in 1986 at the California Ave Shops in Chicago. This work also included the restoration of the high short hood which was chopped in the 1972 rebuild. The CNW donated the 1518 to the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union IL where it still resides as a footnote of modern diesel locomotive technology. The transition between F units of the 40s and the GP(General Purpose) models of the 1950s was gapped by the unsuccessful BL2 model which was a hybrid between the two designs. The GP model was designed by Dick Dilworth. The 1518 was also loaned out to EMD in 1989 for it's 50th Anniversary celebration of the FT in 1939. This slide had no location listed but luckily it was stamped with a photographer. A quick reach out to Bob Anderson and he told me he took this at Proviso while working for Inland Steel in East Chicago, IN. He took this on one of his railfanning adventures with Bud Bulgrin. It's a great asset to us young railfans that some of these photographers, Like Bob, are still with us and can answer questions we have. Melrose Park, IL August 27, 1963. Robert C. Anderson Kodachrome from my Collection.

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