ATSF No. 213

ATSF No. 213, similar EMD F7(A)

CARONA, Kan. – Watco has donated Watco CF7 No. 7104 to the Heart of the Heartlands Corp. for display at the company’s museum in Carona. The locomotive served on Watco short lines from April 1987 until its retirement this June.

Heart of the Heartlands is a railroad historical society that Watco founder Dick Webb established in 1989. The group plans to restore the locomotive to the colors of South East Kansas Railroad, the first Watco short line and the railroad it served on from 1987 until 1990.

Santa Fe rebuilt F7s into CF7s at its Cleburne, Texas, shop. The rebuild gave train crews better visibility from the cab, making the units ideal for switching and local work. After Santa Fe began retiring the units, many found homes on short lines and regional railroads across the country. No. 7104 was built as Santa Fe 218C (builder’s number 8923) in 1949, and was rebuilt to CF7 standards in 1973. Santa Fe retired the unit in 1987.

No. 7104 began its Watco career as South East Kansas No. 1000, and later became Osage Railway 1000; Osage was a sister Watco short line. After its stint on Osage, the locomotive bounced around to several different Watco operations, and was numbered WAMX 7104. Watco retired the unit June 18.