Here's a good look at how the Texas Star Clipper earned its "Bondo Flyer" nickname…the nose of F7 407 reveals several locations where body putty lurks underneath the fresh coat of yellow and burgundy paint. They may have looked nice on the outside -- from a distance -- but the insides were a different story; Coe endured mechanical trouble with them from Day One, and on several occasions, the train had to be rescued with an FWWR diesel after one of the f-units crapped out.
The "Bondo Flyer" nickname first appeared in a Ft. Worth Star-Telegram article about the train; the article mentioned that some Coe employees jokingly used that name in reference to the train and the rather half-assed (my term, not the Star-Telegram's) efforts that went into its restoration.
Following a March 15 collision with an FWWR freight near the Ft. Worth Stockyards, F7 407 would look far worse than it did in this photo; the 407 sustained significant damage to its rear end (it was running backwards at the time of the collision, no doubt a contributing factor), and well as additional damage when it rolled over almost onto its side.
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