SP #1518 inside Barn 9 at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois on May 27, 2023. The EMD SD7 is a model of 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1951 and November 1953. It had an EMD 567B 16- cylinder engine producing 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) for its six traction motors.

Three rebuilt SD7s (SP 1514, SP 1542, and SP 1518) were the power for the recently arrived Anaheim Hauler. SP 1518 started out as EMD Demo 990, the prototype EMD six motor road switcher. It is one of only a few SP units to have five different road numbers. SP locomotive #1518 in transit to the Illinois Railway Museum.

Southern Pacific 1518 is the first SD-series (Special Duty) “road switcher” freight locomotive ever built. It was constructed at the EMD plant in LaGrange as prototype, or demonstrator, number 990 and was later sold to the SP.

SP #1518 was built originally as EMD Demonstrator #990. It demonstrated on several roads before being sent back to EMD for refurbishing and repainting in SP Tiger Stripe paint and renumbering #5308.

Southern Pacific 1518 is an EMD SD7 / EMD SD7R and was the first ever SD (Special Duty) series diesel locomotive, originally built in May 1951 as General Motors Electro-Motive Division 's (EMD) prototype Demonstrator #990. [1][2]

SP 1518 is a long way from the City of Angels Description: This has the distinction of being the first SD-series locomotive built, and coincidentally sharing a number with the first GP-series built, C&NW 1518 which is also preserved at IRM!

With the discussion of SD7 demonstraters below, I figured I'd share these shots of former demonstrator SP 1518. By this date, it'd been retired and was being held in Cheyenne for donation.

Southern Pacific #1518 was built May 3, 1951 by EMD. It was the first EMD six-axle freight diesel, an SD7, and was originally numbered EMD #990 and used as a demonstrator on many railroads. Southern Pacific purchased the locomotive on October 10, 1952 after a major overhaul by EMD personnel, and it became SP #5308.