BOONE, Iowa — A former Chicago & North Western F7 donated by Union Pacific has arrived at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, where it will eventually be restored to operation.
Locomotive No. 401, built in 1949 and stored in Cheyenne, Wyo.., since the 1990s, saw service as one of C&NW’s executive train units in the 1980s. It arrived in Boone on Friday, March 10. It had been awaiting delivery in Council Bluffs, Iowa, since December. It had been left there by the UP donation train en route to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis when that train was rerouted through Des Moines on Iowa Interstate [see “Union Pacific ‘hospital’ train detoured …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 18, 2022].
No. 401 is pictured above with UP and Boone & Scenic Valley crews, and temporarily sporting the nose emblem that if featured during executive-train service.
The Boone & Scenic Valley, operated by the Iowa Railroad Historical Society, is just north of Des Moines. It operates excursion trains, hosts Rail Explorers railbike tours, and does freight switching interchange with UP for service to the Boone Industrial Park. More information is available at the railroad’s website.
Nice to see it will be fixed up since the UP was just letting it rot away. A good bunch of people at Boone. Boone was a division headquarters and a crew change point on the C&NW.
Wonderful, hope it gets done soon!
How long before 844 is retired and with 4014, end-up in museums?
Never, unless the next CEO is an E. Hunter Harrison wannabe and cancels the steam program.