The Wabash Railroad made one purchase of the "Santa Fe" type locomotive. In 1917, the American Locomotive Company delivered twenty-five of the 2-10-2s which the Wabash designated as Class L-1 and assigned them road numbers 2501 through 2525.
These locomotives had 64" diameter drivers, 29" x 32" cylinders, a 195 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 69,698 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 395,000 pounds.
The Class L-1s were used between Chicago and St. Louis in freight service and pulled an average of 5,000 tons which was 1,500 tons more than the "Mikado" (2-8-2) pulled on the same lines. On one particular day an L-1 pulled a troop train of thirty cars at a speed of 35 mph.
During late 1941 and 1942 the Wabash sold eighteen of these locomotives to four other railroads. Six were sold to the KCS, five to the MoPac, five to the C&IM and the other two were sold to the C&EI. Of the remaining seven five of them were sold to the C&IM, two in 1947 and three in 1950. The other two were scrapped by the Wabash, numbers 2503 scrapped in 1950 and number 2507 scrapped in 1951.
There are no surviving Wabash 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" type locomotives.
The Kansas City Southern Railway needed additional motive power to help out moving wartime traffic and bought ten second-hand "Santa Fe" 2-10-2 type locomotives in 1942. It bought six from the Wabash Railroad and four from the Ann Arbor Railroad. The six from the Wabash were former numbers 2504, 2506, 2508, 2511, 2521 and 2525. The four from the Ann Arbor were former numbers 190, 191, 192 and 193.
The ex Wabash locomotives were built in 1917 by the American Locomotive Company and the ex Ann Arbor locomotives were built in 1919 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.
| Class | Qty. | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-1 | 25 | 2501-2525 | 1917 | ALCO | See chart below for the disposition of all 25 of the Class L-1 locomotives. |
| Road No. | Disposition |
|---|---|
| 2501 | Sold to C&IM in 1947 became #656 |
| 2502 | Sold to MoPac in 1942 became #1715 |
| 2503 | Scrapped in 1950 |
| 2504 | Sold to KCS in 1942 became #200 |
| 2505 | Sold to MoPac in 1942 became #1716 |
| 2506 | Sold to KCS in 1942 became #205 |
| 2507 | Scrapped in 1951 |
| 2508 | Sold to KCS in 1942 became #201 |
| 2509 | Sold to C&EI in 1942 became #4001 |
| 2510 | Sold to C&IM in 1941 became #651 |
| 2511 | Sold to KCS in 1942 became #204 |
| 2512 | Sold to MoPac in 1942 became #1717 |
| 2513 | Sold to C&EI in 1942 became #4000 |
| 2514 | Sold to C&IM in 1941 became #652 |
| 2515 | Sold to C&IM in 1950 became #658 |
| 2516 | Sold to MoPac in 1942 became #1718 |
| 2517 | Sold to C&IM in 1942 became #654 |
| 2518 | Sold to C&IM in 1942 became #655 |
| 2519 | Sold to C&IM in 1950 became #659 |
| 2520 | Sold to C&IM in 1950 for part only. |
| 2521 | Sold to KCS in 1942 became #202 |
| 2522 | Sold to MoPac in 1942 became #1719 |
| 2523 | Sold to C&IM in 1942 became #653 |
| 2524 | Sold to C&IM in 1947 became #657 |
| 2525 | Sold to KCS in 1042 became #203 |
Data from "Locomotives of the 2-10-2 Type for the Wabash," Railroad Age Gazette, Volume 63, No 2 (7 December 1917) Railway Age Gazette with supplementary data from WAB 1 - 1929 and WAB 1 - 1946 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Many thanks to Chris Hohl for his 22 September 2017 email reporting unlikely boiler pressure values for 177 entries. A Locobase macro caused the error .)
Boiler was Extended Wagon Top (EWT). Although Railway Age credited the design with 1,129 sq ft of superheater in 1917, by 1929, the same flues were credited with the heating surface area as shown. Also the firebox heating surface area, given as 389 sq ft (36.1 sq m) in 1917, was reduced to the 361 sq ft; this included 47 sq ft (4.35 sq m) of arch tubes.
Used on the Decatur Division between St Louis and Chicago, pulling an average 5,000 tons (compared to the Mikado's 3,500 tons). The RG article noted a performance in which an L-1 pulled up to 30 passenger cars in a troop train at speeds of 35 mph.
Two eventually wound up on the C&O as class B-3 after passing through the Pere Marquette. They were the heaviest of the C&O's Santa Fes; they had the highest factor of adhesion and the largest boilers.
Most of the rest were withdrawn by the end of World War II and the remaining seven had been disposed of by 1950-1951.
WAB 1 - 1929 and WAB 1 - 1946 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
Locobase 88 tells us about this class of big Santa Fes as they entered service in World War One. During decades of use, however, most classes of road engines in US service underwent some sort of upgrade and this entry is intended to show which pieces and parts were modified or added and to what effect.
The two locomotives represented by this entry had slightly different makeovers. 2515 received a Worthington 4-B-2 feedwater heater, which added 5,000 pounds to total engine weight. Both operated Duplex D1 stokers and both were equipped with Nicholson thermic syphons which contributed 79 sq ft to the firebox heating surface for the loss of 2 arch tubes. The remaining 3 arch tubes added 25 sq ft to the firebox heating surface. 2719 had received its syphons by 1928. Locobase is not sure which locomotives received the appliance or when.
By the end of World War II, only 7 remained in service; they were all withdrawn by 1951.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class | L1 | L1 - syphons |
| Locobase ID | 88 | 8490 |
| Railroad | Wabash | Wabash |
| Country | USA | USA |
| Whyte | 2-10-2 | 2-10-2 |
| Number in Class | 25 | 2 |
| Road Numbers | 2501-2525 | 2515, 2519 |
| Gauge | Std | Std |
| Number Built | 25 | |
| Builder | Alco-Brooks | Wabash |
| Year | 1917 | 1928 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | ||
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 22.80 / 6.95 | 22.83 / 6.96 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 42.30 / 12.89 | 42.33 / 12.90 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.54 | 0.54 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 78.33 / 23.87 | 78.52 / 23.93 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 67,500 / 30,618 | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 314,000 / 142,428 | 321,800 / 145,966 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 395,000 / 179,169 | 401,000 / 181,891 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 197,000 / 89,358 | 197,000 / 89,358 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 592,000 / 268,527 | 598,000 / 271,249 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 10,000 / 37.88 | 10,000 / 37.88 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 18 / 16 | 18 / 16 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 105 / 52.50 | 107 / 53.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | ||
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 64 / 1626 | 64 / 1626 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 195 / 1340 | 210 / 1450 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 29" x 32" / 737x813 | 29" x 32" / 737x813 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 69,698 / 31614.52 | 75,059 / 34046.23 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.51 | 4.29 |
| Heating Ability | ||
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 253 - 2.25" / 57 | 253 - 2.25" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 48 - 5.5" / 140 | 48 - 5.5" / 140 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 23 / 7.01 | 23 / 7.01 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 361 / 33.55 | 439 / 40.80 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 80 / 7.43 | 80 / 7.43 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 5353 / 497.49 | 5431 / 504.74 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1301 / 120.91 | 1301 / 120.91 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 6654 / 618.40 | 6732 / 625.65 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 218.85 | 222.04 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | ||
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 15,600 | 16,800 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 18,720 | 19,992 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 84,474 | 109,706 |
| Power L1 | 16,044 | 17,707 |
| Power MT | 563.23 | 606.54 |
