The EMD SW7 is a diesel switcher locomotive that was built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between October 1949 and January 1951. It was powered by a V12 567A engine developing 1,200 horsepower (895 kW). 489 SW7 locomotives were produced.
The EMD SW7 debuted in October, 1949 and looked to follow the success of the previous SW1 and NW2 models, which combined, sold more than 1,800 units between 1939 and 1953. The history of the SW line, of course, dates back to the Electro-Motive Corporation of the mid-1930s which began releasing a whole series of small switchers for use in light duty and industrial work. They almost instantly became successful and after the company became a division of General Motors it continued to expand on the series. In any event, all EMD switcher locomotives after the SW7 are very hard to tell apart. The SW7 used the traditional EMC/EMD carbody design, that was tapered near the cab and featured EMD's classic conical exhaust stacks above the hood. Length remained the same at just over 44-feet and it continued to use GM's model D37 traction motors.
Trivia[]
- The majority of the SW7s were built by EMD Plant #3 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- In addition, 15 TR4 cow-calf paired sets were produced.
Gallery[]
