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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