Broadway Limited 6695 - HO Scale EMD F7B Southern Pacific SP #8144 Black Widow, Powered, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC

Southern Pacific's "Black Widow" F7 booster – the dramatic black, silver and orange freight scheme that ran SP's Sunset Route right through Tucson.

The Prototype

The EMD F7 was a 1,500 hp cab-unit diesel built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division from 1949 to 1953. EMD's fourth F-unit model, it was by far the best-selling cab unit of all time. It differed from the F3 mainly in its internal electrical equipment, with visible changes to the grills and dynamic brake hatches, and many F7s stayed in service for decades.

Southern Pacific dressed its postwar freight diesels in black with silver and orange trim, a look railfans nicknamed the "Black Widow." F-unit sets in this scheme hauled freight over Donner Pass, the Tehachapis and the Sunset Route across southern Arizona until SP adopted its gray-and-scarlet scheme in the late 1950s.

#8144 is a cabless F7B booster, the kind SP ran between A-units to build up horsepower on heavy mountain grades.

Build the Set

Pair with BLI 6694 (F7A, SP #6244) or the 6680 A/B set (SP 6243/8143) for a Black Widow A-B or A-B-B lash-up. This single B-unit is fully powered with its own Paragon4 sound, adding pulling power and a second prime mover.

Paragon4 Sound & Control

• Factory-installed Paragon4 decoder – runs on DC or DCC (use DCMaster for sound on DC)
• Rolling Thunder: pair with BLI's Rolling Thunder receiver/subwoofer for deep, room-filling prime mover rumble
• Back EMF motor control for smooth slow-speed running
• Built-in capacitance to ride through dirty or imperfect track
• Pro Lighting Mode and Switcher Mode
• Record & Play – records and plays back sounds and movements for automatic operation
• High-resolution audio; prime mover sound varies with load
• Individually adjustable volumes; EZ Reset button for factory defaults

Model Features

• ABS body on a die-cast chassis for maximum pulling power
• Precision drive with all-wheel electrical pickup
• Separately applied handrails, grab irons and etched-metal grills
• Road-specific details matched to the prototype: hatches, fans, dynamic brakes and more
• Metal Kadee-compatible couplers
• Runs on Code 70, 83 and 100 rail; minimum radius 18"

Specs

• Scale: HO (1:87)
• Manufacturer: Broadway Limited Imports
• Item #: 6695
• Road / number: Southern Pacific #8144
• Paint: Black Widow (black/silver/orange)
• Model: EMD F7B booster, powered, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC