Photo taken in '56 or ‘57. My Mothers’ uncle was the Engineer when this was taken, It was his last run before he retired. (it IS an old pic!) Is it an E7,E8 or F series?
I would guess E7, by the air intakes and body side detail.
Assuming that the railroad is the Baltimore and Ohio, the locomotive might be (depending on the date, if it could be in the very early 1950s) it might be one of the original 1937 EA units, since there appear to be two large vents, rather than three small ones on the body side.
Of course at that scale we are looking at digital artefacts as much as the original photo.
B&O did also have E-6 and E-7 units which might look much the same in this view, and did last until 1956-57. However B&O “updated” their E-6s (and possibly E-7s) with Farr stainless steel grilles by the late 1950s, which this unit doesn’t have.
The EA type was the very first production E unit and the first is preserved in the B&O museum.
If it is convenient, you might take the photo to the museum, and if you can identify the place, they might be able to help identify the unit for you.
But my first guess is the EA type.
M636C
Thank you very much for the information! I am going to guess it was one of the older EA’s as you mentioned. In conversations there was never any mention of this being a “New” train, or him just have switched to diesels, or anything like that.
This was all on the B&O chicago division, one of the last holdouts of steam. As I work on my layout, I enjoy getting rolling stock that I have actual pictures of, and have a family connection to.
Sorry, you are not going to see any “UP” on my pike!