Wabash / Wabash Saint Louis & Pacific 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class D / H4 (Locobase 9897)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also "Wabash Ten-Wheel Express Locomotive", Railroad Gazette, Volume 22 (17 October 1890), pp. 712-

Apparently adding a foot to the tubes in the H-3's boiler (Locobase 9896), the Wabash also increased the count slightly in these passenger Ten-wheelers produced in the road's shops a year later. The firebox went deeper, but still had the same grate area. Thus the ratio between heating surface and grate area approached 100:1.

The RG account notes with approval the use of a cinder valve under the smokebox, which was easy to operate and not likely to stick. The report didn't especially care for the cross-head design or its valve rod, describing the latter as "a little complicated for the requirements of the case."

Note: The Wabash Railroad of 1889 emerged from the Wabash, St Louis & Pacific's receivership and foreclosure. At first the new reorganization saw the February through August 1889 creation of five regional railroads and railways:

Detroit & State Line Wabash Railroad Company.,

Toledo Western Railroad Company.,

Wabash Eastern Railway Company of Indiana,

Wabash Eastern Railway Company of Illinois,

Wabash Western Railway Company.

On 1 August 1889, all five rolled into the Wabash Railroad Company.

Class E/H3 (Locobase 9896)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

The railroad built these low-drivered Ten-wheelers in its own shops in 1887-1889. Among the mixed-traffic and passenger 4-6-0s, the home-builts supported variety in freight power.

246 was retired and scrapped in September 1914. Five of the remaining seven left in January 1916, 229 followed in February and 247 closed out the class in March.

Class G / H10 (Locobase 9902)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 3293 describes the H9 simple-expansion Ten-wheelers supplied by Pittsburgh (and 1 by Richmond). Richmond's other 9 locomotives (works 2686-2694) were these cross-compounds delivered at the same time. Identical in nearly all respects, this class weighed about 3,000 lb more than their simple-expansion counterparts.

Class G/H9 (Locobase 3293)

Described in "A Pittsburgh Ten-wheeler for the Wabash", Railroad Gazette, Volume XXX [30], No 17 (29 April 1898), p. 305. Builder information from B Rumary list supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works numbers were 1800-1804 (December 1895). Rumary gives their power dimensions as 18x26" cylinders with 64" drivers; this must represent a later rebuild or simply an error. Baldwin's works numbers for 701-705 were 15802-15806 in March 1898. Richmond supplied one locomotive (711) in this configuration and nine more as compounds. For the latter, see Locobase 9902.

The RG reported that "These engines are in use and Mr. Barnes [JB Barnes, Superintendent of Motive Power] reports they are giving entire satisfaction." The design shared many dimensions and components with the Atlantics delivered by Baldwin only a few weeks before. One striking similarity was the prominent clerestory over the cab roofAs freighters, however, they were set on much smaller drivers.

The weights given in the RG article were 108,000 on the drivers, 137,000 for the engine in working order, and 90,000 lb for the loaded tender.

Builder information from B Rumary list supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works numbers were 1800-1804 (December 1895). Rumary gives their power dimensions as 18x26" cylinders with 64" drivers; this must represent a later rebuild or simply an error. Baldwin's works numbers for 701-705 were 15802-15806 in March 1898. Richmond supplied one locomotive (711) in this configuration and 9 more as compounds. For the latter, see Locobase 9902.

707 retired first in December 1928 while 708 was the last to go in August 1933.

Class H12 (Locobase 9905)

Data from WAB 1 - 1929 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 9904 describes the original saturated-steam locomotives that came from Baldwin in 1904. Three were later fitted with a relatively sizable superheater and Walschaert gear. i the 638 and 641; the 640 retained the inside link motion. Firebox heating surface area included 15 sq ft (1.39 sq m) from two arch tubes..

These were the only Wabash Ten-wheelers to be so modified.

638 and 641 went to the scrapyard in October 1933. Two months later in December, the ferro-knacker called for the 640.

Class H2, H8 (Locobase 9895)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These were the passenger engines modified at the Moberly shops from several mixed-traffic H6 locomotives (Locobase 9899). 347, 1383, and 391 were placed in the H8 class, the others in H2. They were assigned to the WStL&P's Canadian division.

Locobase 11196 describes the 1887 Schenectady engine delivered to the Michigan Central that was claimed in 1899 to be the first passenger Ten-wheeler produced. These Wabash engines arguably deserve that distinction.

Class H6 (Locobase 9899)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 823-833, 916-923 in 1880; 924-925, 1010-1015 in 1881; and 1114-1121 in 1882.

In 1880, the Wabash went to this Ocean State builder for a big order of mixed-traffic engines. 477 and later were delivered with 56" drivers, but soon upgraded to 64" like the earlier locomotives.

All of the engines' road numbers received a 1 in 1885 and most regained their original numbers two years later. Indeed, within the H-6 class were some locomotives with 18" (348-350, 352, 388, 477, 480, 482, 560) and others with 19" cylinder diameters.

Class H7 (Locobase 9900)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 2375-2384 in September 1890, 2641-2646 in September 1891, 2748-2751 in May 1892, 2765-2772 in September

A full decade after the Rhode Island Works supplied the Wabash with H2 and H6 class locomotives, they delivered more than two dozen new engines. Locobase is surprised by the small differences between the two designs. Although the grate grew a little and the boiler a bit more, adhesion weight increased by over six tons, and the boiler pressure increased by about 10%, the basic layout remained unchanged. In fact, the firebox sat low, between the drivers rather than above the axles as was more common in 1890 than 1880.

The firebox of fifteen in the class later received 11 sq ft of arch tubes, but none was ever superheated. The class proved sturdy enough with a majority operating into the late 1920s-early 1930s before retirement.

Class H8 (Locobase 9901)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

This pair of home-built Ten-wheelers looked bigger and faster than their dimensions suggest. The high-mounted boiler and small dome increased the apparent size, but the firebox was still on the stingy side. They were in fact two of a large class of 4-6-0s supplied by the Rhode Island Locomotive Works in 1880.

Class J / H11 (Locobase 9903)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 3225-3230 in 1901.

A sextet of passenger Ten-wheelers from Richmond just months before that builder was absorbed by the American Locomotive Company. They were not particularly big or high-drivered, even for the day, and apparently were never superheated.

All six went to the scrapper (along with most other Wabash 4-6-0s) in 931.

Class L / H12 (Locobase 9904)

Data from WAB 1907 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 27, p. 140. Baldwin works numbers 24526, 24534-24536, 24544-24545, 24547, 24560, 24567, 24608 in August 1904.

Sporting a bigger boiler pressed to an unusually high degree for the time and more cylinder volume, these Ten-wheelers were the last of the arrangement to go to the Wabash. Firebox heating surface area included 15 sq ft (1.39 sq m) from two arch tubes. They also featured 12" (305 mm) piston valves and a six-chamber chime whistle that likely had significant melodious potential. The class was delivered with 73" drivers, but later fitted with 74" wheels.

Most were not superheated and operated for less than 30 years before being retired. Five were sent to the scrapper in December 1931. Almost two years later in October 1933, 639.went. 645, which had been equipped with the rare Allfee-Hubbell valve gear, which was later replaced by Baker-Pilliod setup, retired in November 1933 along with 642..

See Locobase 9905 for the three that did get a makeover after all.