These ex-Clinchfield EMDs had the same problem as the current Norfolk Southern F units have. The F7s did very well in their time period. In their day fueling facilities were closer together. Modern Diesel power has much larger fuel tanks thus a much longer distance can be covered. The 2008 Norfolk Southern Derby Train ran out of fuel on it's trip home. Amtrak converted several E8s to fuel tenders in it's early days for the same reason. The total run of this train was Cincinnati, Ohio to Atlanta, Georgia. CSX was competing then Southern Railway for what was mostly General Motors auto parts shipping. Southern Railway used Modern Diesels at passenger train speeds with fewer crew changes to eat CSX's lunch. Norfolk Southern still has this service today. Thanks for the history lesson Martin.
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