Escanaba & Lake Superior Diesel Roster (All-Time)

Published: October 14, 2026

Baldwin built the Escanaba & Lake Superior’s first diesel, VO-1000 No. 100, in June 1946. The all-time list below is 30 locomotives: six Baldwin switchers, seven RS-12s, three GP38s, three SD40-2s, two SW8s, five SD9s, two RF16s, an FP7, and an F7B. In the fall of 2026 the locomotives named in service included RS-12 300, GP38 400, FP7 600, and SW8s 1200 and 1201. The company story, from the charter of November 17, 1898, is found here at the Escanaba & Lake Superior page.

Escanaba & Lake Superior GP38-2 400 at Crivitz WI in February 1989

Escanaba & Lake Superior GP38-2 #400 - wearing a Great Northern inspired livery - is seen here ahead of a long freight at Crivitz, Wisconsin on February 8, 1989. Photo from the Mac Owen collection.

On this page: At a glance · Fall 2026 · Switchers · RS-12s · GP38s · SD40-2s · Reserve Mining · RF16s · Cab units

At a glance

Item	Detail
Railroad	Escanaba & Lake Superior. Mark ELS. Company Escanaba & Lake Superior
Fleet in these tables	30 locomotives
Baldwin switchers	VO-1000 100, DS-4-4-660s 101 and 102, DS-4-4-1000s 201, 202, and 204
RS-12s	207, 209–213, and 300. No. 300 is former 215
Electro-Motive hoods	GP38s 400–402. SD40-2s 500–502. SW8s 1200 and 1201. SD9s 1220–1224
Cab units	RF16s 1205 and 1216, stored. FP7 600. F7B 102B, stored at Wells
Fall 2026	Among those in service: RS-12 300, GP38 400, FP7 600, SW8s 1200 and 1201

Fall 2026

An operating account of October 7, 2026, names five locomotives at work. RS-12 300 was back on freight after a stretch limited to special movements. GP38 400 was the main road locomotive. FP7 600 had returned in September, after a traction motor failed in 2020. SW8 1200 switched the car shop at Escanaba, and SW8 1201 was the backup switcher at Menominee. The two RF16s were still stored. A large part of the stored Baldwin deadline was cut up in the summer of 2026, after two locomotives had been cut up in the summer of 2025.

A small industrial switcher lettered Buckwheat & Durham, a fictitious road name, works at Crivitz. The tables that follow are the railroad’s own locomotives.

Switchers

No. 100 is the 1,000-horsepower Baldwin of June 1946, a VO-1000, Baldwin 72227, bought new. No. 101 is a DS-4-4-660, Baldwin 73367, built in November 1947 and acquired in December 1947. No. 102, the second DS-4-4-660, is Baldwin 75700, August 1952, also bought new. Nos. 201 and 202 are DS-4-4-1000s from the Calumet & Hecla, Baldwin 73956 and 73957, built in 1948 and kept those road numbers. No. 204, in the photograph, is Baldwin 74777, May 1950, built as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers L-4 and later Calumet & Hecla 204.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
VO-1000	100	1	72227	—	June 1946	Purchased new
DS-4-4-660	101	1	73367	—	November 1947	Purchased new. Acquired December 1947
DS-4-4-660	102	1	75700	—	August 1952	Purchased new. Scrapped in 2025
DS-4-4-1000	201–202	2	73956–73957	—	1948	Ex-Calumet & Hecla 201 and 202
DS-4-4-1000	204	1	74777	—	May 1950	Ex-Calumet & Hecla 204. Nee U.S. Army Corps of Engineers L-4. The Wells photograph

RS-12s

The RS-12s are former Seaboard Air Line road switchers that came west after the Seaboard Coast Line years. Nos. 207 and 209–211 arrived in 1984 from the Oregon, California & Eastern, where they had been 7908–7911. Nos. 212, 213, and 215 arrived in 1980 from the Michigan Northern. No. 215 was renumbered 300. That is one locomotive, listed at 300. Nos. 209–213 were cut up in 2026. No. 300 went back to freight the same year.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
RS-12	207	1	75475	—	May 1952	SAL 1466, SCL 207, Oregon, California & Eastern 7908. Acquired 1984
RS-12	209–211	3	75477–75479	—	May 1952	SAL 1468–1470, SCL 209–211, Oregon, California & Eastern 7909–7911. Acquired 1984. Cut up in 2026
RS-12	212	1	75480	—	May 1952	SAL 1471, SCL 212, Michigan Northern 212. Acquired 1980. Cut up in 2026
RS-12	213	1	75765	—	January 1953	SAL 1472, SCL 213, Michigan Northern 213. Acquired 1980. Cut up in 2026
RS-12	300	1	75767	—	January 1953	Former E&LS 215. SAL 1474, SCL 215, Michigan Northern 215. Acquired 1980. Returned to freight service in 2026

GP38s

Three GP38s came from Penn Central by way of Conrail. The locomotive in the Beaver photograph, No. 400, is EMD 36459, order 7265, May 1970, built as Penn Central 7843. It arrived on the property numbered 401 and was renumbered 400. No. 401 is EMD 35438, order 7191, October 1969, built as Penn Central 7809. It arrived numbered 400 and was renumbered 401. No. 402 is EMD 35401, the same order 7191, September 1969, built as Penn Central 7772.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
GP38	400	1	36459	7265	May 1970	Nee Penn Central 7843, later Conrail 7843. Arrived as E&LS 401. The main road locomotive in the fall of 2026. The Beaver photograph
GP38	401	1	35438	7191	October 1969	Nee Penn Central 7809, later Conrail 7809. Arrived as E&LS 400
GP38	402	1	35401	7191	September 1969	Nee Penn Central 7772, later Conrail 7772

SD40-2s

Three SD40-2s carry 500–502. No. 500 was built in June 1974 as Milwaukee Road 182, the second locomotive in that number, serial 73687-1, order 73687. It later ran as Soo Line 6349 and as GATX 6349, 9349, and 7349. No. 501 was built in July 1973 as Milwaukee Road 22, serial 72641-2, order 72641, later Soo Line 6306 and EMDX 6306. No. 502 was built in January 1980 as Union Pacific 3693, serial 796297-35. It came from ILSX 1344 and ran on the Escanaba & Lake Superior as 1344 before it became 502.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
SD40-2	500	1	73687-1	73687	June 1974	Nee Milwaukee Road 182 (second). Later Soo Line 6349, then GATX 6349, 9349, and 7349
SD40-2	501	1	72641-2	72641	July 1973	Nee Milwaukee Road 22. Later Soo Line 6306, then EMDX 6306
SD40-2	502	1	796297-35	796297	January 1980	Nee Union Pacific 3693. Ex-ILSX 1344. Operated as E&LS 1344 before 502

Reserve Mining

Two SW8s and five SD9s came from Reserve Mining and kept their numbers. SW8s 1200 and 1201 are EMD 16925 and 16971, June 1952. In the fall of 2026, No. 1200 was the Escanaba car-shop switcher and No. 1201 was the backup switcher at Menominee. SD9s 1220–1224 are the six-axle companions from the same owner.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
SW8	1200	1	16925	—	June 1952	Ex-Reserve Mining 1200. Escanaba car-shop switcher in the fall of 2026
SW8	1201	1	16971	—	June 1952	Ex-Reserve Mining 1201. Backup switcher at Menominee in the fall of 2026
SD9	1220–1224	5	—	—	—	Ex-Reserve Mining

RF16s

Nos. 1205 and 1216 are the two RF16s the railroad is known for. Baldwin built them in December 1951 and January 1952 as New York Central 3805 and 3816, works numbers 75361 and 75372. Both later ran on the Monongahela and the Delaware & Hudson. No. 1205 also carried Castolite and Michigan Northern lettering before it reached Wells. The pair has been stored for at least 25 years, and the locomotives were locked away after the builder plates were stolen.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
RF16	1205	1	75361	—	December 1951	Nee New York Central 3805. Later Monongahela, Delaware & Hudson, Castolite, and Michigan Northern. Stored
RF16	1216	1	75372	—	January 1952	Nee New York Central 3816. Later Monongahela and Delaware & Hudson. Stored

Cab units

FP7 600 was built in January 1951 as Milwaukee Road 96A, EMD serial 10361, order 3073. It later ran as Wisconsin & Calumet 96A and as Wisconsin & Southern 71A. It returned to service in September 2026. F7B 102B, serial 15243, order 3111, October 1951, is a former Milwaukee Road booster stored at the Wells roundhouse.

Model	Numbers	Qty	Serial	Order	Built	Notes
FP7	600	1	10361	3073	January 1951	Built as Milwaukee Road 96A. Later Wisconsin & Calumet 96A and Wisconsin & Southern 71A. Returned to service in September 2026
F7B	102B	1	15243	3111	October 1951	Built as Milwaukee Road 102B. Stored at Wells

The quantity column totals 30: six switchers, seven RS-12s, three GP38s, three SD40-2s, two SW8s, five SD9s, two RF16s, and two cab units.

Sources

William Duchaine, Escanaba Daily Press, December 27, 1950, as republished by michiganrailroads.com. No. 100, the 1,000-horsepower Baldwin, acquired June 1946. No. 101, the 660-horsepower Baldwin switcher, acquired December 1947. Both were doing nearly all of the work by the end of 1950.
The Diesel Shop, Escanaba & Lake Superior motive power, updated October 2, 2025, roster by R. Craig, photograph by Greg Bunce. Road numbers, builder dates, and construction numbers used above for the Baldwin switchers, the RS-12s, the GP38s, SD40-2s 500 and 501, the SW8s, and the RF16s, where a second list agrees. SD40-2 502, serial 796297-35, January 1980, ex-ILSX 1344, nee Union Pacific 3693. The Monongahela Railway roster on the same site: RF16 works numbers 75361 and 75372, nee New York Central 3805 and 3816, and the later owners named for 1205.
railroadmichigan.com, Escanaba & Lake Superior roster, page dated July 5, 2026. The same Baldwin switchers, RS-12s 207 and 209–213 and 300, the three GP38s, SD40-2s 500 and 501, SW8s 1200 and 1201, SD9s 1220–1224 as ex-Reserve Mining, and the number swap that made the ex-7843 locomotive No. 400 and the ex-7809 locomotive No. 401. RS-12s 209–213 cut up in 2026. No. 300 in service. No. 102 as a DS-4-4-660, Baldwin 75700, August 1952.
Railroad Picture Archives. No. 102, DS-4-4-660, Baldwin 75700, August 1952, scrapped 2025. No. 204, Baldwin 74777, May 1950. FP7 600, serial 10361, order 3073, frame 3073-A1, January 1951. Penn Central GP38 7772, order 7191, serial 35401, and Penn Central 7809, order 7191, serial 35438. F7B 102B, serial 15243.
Electro-Motive production on this site. GP38 orders 7191 and 7265: Penn Central 7675–7814, serials 35304–35443, and Penn Central 7825–7867, serials 36441–36483. FP7 production: Milwaukee Road 96A, serial 10361, order 3073, January 1951. Milwaukee Road diesel roster on this site: FP7 96A, serial 10361, January 1951, and F7B 102B, serial 15243, order 3111, October 1951.
TrainWeb Electro-Motive order lists. Order 7191, GP38, Penn Central 7675–7814, serials 35304–35443, June–October 1969. Order 7265, GP38, Penn Central 7825–7867, serials 36441–36483, May–June 1970. Order 3073A, serials 10361–10364, January 1951, Milwaukee Road 96A, 96C, 97A, and 97C. Order 3111 for Milwaukee Road F7B 102B is the figure on this site’s Milwaukee roster.
Operating notes on the railroadfan.com page for the Escanaba & Lake Superior, as captured on October 7, 2026. RS-12 300 back in freight service. GP38 400 the main road locomotive. FP7 600 returned in September 2026 after a traction-motor failure in 2020. SW8 1200 at the Escanaba car shop and SW8 1201 the backup switcher at Menominee. The RF16s stored. A large part of the stored Baldwin deadline scrapped in the summer of 2026, after two locomotives were scrapped in the summer of 2025. Former Milwaukee Road F units stored at the Wells roundhouse.

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