Geeps and Fs mixed and centre positioned train heat cars

[jamesbrodie67281]

Gents, Somewhere hiding in my computer records I have a photo of a three loco 'lash up' comprising a Geep an FB and then a trailing Geep in SP colours.
Was this practice normal or just towards the end of the loco units lives ?....ALSO.... Another photo of an FA-FB-Train Heat Car-FB-FA was this normal practice if there were no train heat locos available ?
Jim Brodie.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 15:03:37 GMT -8 jamesbrodie67281 said:

Gents, Somewhere hiding in my computer records I have a photo of a three loco 'lash up' comprising a Geep an FB and then a trailing Geep in SP colours.
Was this practice normal or just towards the end of the loco units lives ?....ALSO.... Another photo of an FA-FB-Train Heat Car-FB-FA was this normal practice if there were no train heat locos available ?
Jim Brodie.

By FB I assume you mean an FTB, F3B, F7B, or F9B? That would not be unusual at all for a 1960s freight operating in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Well the Cotton Belt FTs were gone by the early 60s and never worked in California, but.... That consist would be more unusual elsewhere, but not unheard of. I've never seen such a consist in passenger service (and I've seen a lot of SP photos), but it's not inpossible. Yes, much more common in the late 60s thru the end of the F units. By summer 1973, they were gone.

I don't think SP had any heater cars. None in later years.

[Great-Northern-Willmar Div]

CNW had converted some secondhand F7 and F3B's into slugs and sandwiched them between two GP35 mother units. This was done during the late 70's and early 80's. BN used F7 and F9 booster units with various hood units in the 1970's and 1980's.

Rio Grande used three F9's one A and two B's with a former ALCo PB converted to a steam generator unit to power the Rio Grande Zephyr. The D&RGW F9B's had boilers, the A-unit did not. The usual consist was F9A-F9B-steam generator car(former PB)-F9B.

If a steam generator unit was inserted between locomotives, the steam generator unit was converted from a locomotive and has the capability to pass multiple unit electrical(27 pin connector) and signal or MU hoses. If the steam generator unit was a former baggage car, etc. it would be placed between the last unit and the head of the train. If the steam generator is placed between the locomotives, the units trailing the boiler car would need to be able to pass steam.