Back in the late 1990s when I started this website a fair number of folks emerged from the Internet woodwork to share their love of the Alaska Railroad with me. Indeed their excitement was contagious! At that time I viewed many of those folks as mysterious, vibrant and larger than life characters who had visited far away places and captured the magic appetizingly on film. One of those mythical-like men was E. D. "Deane" Motis. Oh the photos he would send to display on my pages! Over time I lost contact with Deane, but recently reconnected in a minor project collaboration. Later he was kind enough to send me nine photos of F7 units to add to the rich history you'll find preserved here. I will get all of them online as time allows. However, for the meantime, here is F7 #1508 in all her glory in Fairbanks on May 15, 1984. So awesomely beautiful!