On Page 63 of Kalmbach’s Fast Trains there is a photograph of Frisco’s Will Rogers departing St.Louis Union Station in 1962 or 1963 behind E-unit # 2004. The caption accompanying this photograph identifies unit #2004 as an E7 which is correct. Why, I ask, does this E7 appear to be residing in an E8 carbody–it has round portholes as opposed to the square ones which identifies an E7? Could it be that very late production E7s used E8 carbodies?
Frisco’s E7s were originally purchased as power for The Texas Special and the Meteor. The locomotives had stainless steel fluted panels on the sides and a special paint scheme. About 1950 they were rebuilt in the Springfield shops as lookalikes to the new E8s–fluting removed, stainless steel grill added, round portholes-- and painted in the attractive Racehorse scheme. The louvers right behind the cab door are a dead giveway that you’ve got an E7, though.
This link is about about paint schemes, but you can see some E7s before and after:
That explains it there, garya; muchos gracias for the info!