Nostalgia & History > Book Signing Ligonier, Indiana October 2, 2014

I hope to see some of you local folks there if you haven't attended yet.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

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Victor: How many f-7 b units did Wabash have? A units?

tomstp Wrote:
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> Victor: How many F7B units did Wabash have? A
> units?

Tom,

They started by purchasing 9 A-B-A sets, (Class D-45), numbered 1100-1108; a total of 18 A Units and 9 B Units. Thereafter they went to A-A sets (Class D-30), numbered 1140-1140A through 1189-1189A; this represented 100 A Units; the total number of F7's they rostered was 127. Later the units would be renumbered to 600-726; the "letter" suffixes would be dropped in the process.

Here is a builder's photo of a D-45 set, the 1101A-1101B-1101. The 1101A would be the trailing unit in this numbering scheme, but either of course were totally functional A units.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

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Thanks Bob. Tom, 127 is what I show too including 9 B units (on page 244). In comparison, I note there were a total of 46 GP7 and GP9 units. Also, the Wabash only purchased five sets of A-B-A Alco F units. (There was one EMD F7 (totaled in a wreck) that was rebuilt as an F9 and had the first louver in front of the port hole. Note that some F units were GMD units built in Canada for Buffalo Division service.

The general consensus it that the Wabash determined that three F units for most of its Districts were overkill. Of course, later, when Herman Pevler came on board, fewer, longer trains were run with all road units having MU capability on both ends and old and new units MU'd together. One could get a
"dogs breakfast" lash-up. The GP7's were not delivered with MU capability but modified later. I believe the GP9s were delivered with MU control.

Perhaps Bob can add to that.

Incidentally folks, my Wabash book includes diagrams of most of the Wabash steam and diesel locos with measurements, weight, horsepower, tractive effort, driver diameter, capacities and kind of appliances, etc.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublication.com

Yes, Victor, the GP9's were indeed delivered with M.U.

Did you know that the Wabash operated the 6th largest fleet of F7's in the Country, and actually had more than the Pennsylvania?

Here are the top seven. Santa Fe owned the largest fleet:


Baltimore & Ohio 144 1949-1952

Missouri Pacific (Including several subsidiaries) 133 1949-1951

New York Central 238 1949-1952

Pennsylvania 117 1949-1952

Santa Fe 324 1948-1953

Southern Pacific 288 1949- 1953

Wabash 127 1949-1953


Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Interesting Bob. I'll bet the Wabash wished they would have bought all "geeps", but "covered wagons" are my favorite diesel. Despite that, most of the F7s rolled millions of miles on the Wabash and quite a few were still in the old tri-color scheme when N&W leased the Wabash in 1964.

Bob, were all the Wabash GP9s dual service (passenger and freight) or were some just freight versions without top-side air tanks, steam generators and water capacity like some of the GP7s?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/14 10:37 by wabash2800.

Victor,

Here are the particulars on their GP9's:

484-489 GP9 (6) 1954 All built with steam generators

490-495 GP9 (6) 1956 493-495 built with steam generators and dual controls

So, the 490, 491, and 492, lacked steam generators - but - these MAY have had through steam lines to be used BEHIND a steam generator equipped unit. I'd need to see close-ups of the ends to discern this.

"Wabash in Color" by Sweetland has some images of them (a Nixon shot on P.6 splitting a pair of F7's, and the 491 on the Columbia Mixed in the rear portion of the book are helpful.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

The GP9s are too late for the era I model. <G> And I miss the Train Masters too...