Wabash Alloys Locomotive Explained

Wabash Alloys Locomotive
Powertype:Diesel Electric
Hatnote:References:
Builder:General Electric
Buildmodel:25 ton
Builddate:1940-43
Whytetype:0-4-0
Maxspeed:20mph
Weightondrivers:250NaN0
Locoweight:250NaN0
Fueltype:Diesel
Cylindercount:6
Cylindersize:NaNx
Poweroutput:150hp
Tractiveeffort:150000NaN0
Rpmrange:1800
Displacement:672cuin
Tractionmotors:one, chain drive to second axle
Lastrundate:April, 2018
Currentowner:Arkansas Railroad Museum
Disposition:Under Renovation, Partially Operable
Embed:yes
Wabash Alloys Locomotive
Coordinates:34.2292°N -91.985°W
Added:May 22, 2007
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:07000444

The Wabash Alloys Locomotive is a GE 25-ton diesel-electric locomotive built in 1940–43. Little is known about its early life, but from around 1970, it worked at Wabash Alloys, a producer of aluminum alloys, at Haskell, Arkansas.

It eventually became surplus to the company's needs and they donated it to the Arkansas Railroad Museum at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on March 8, 2003.

The 25-ton model was the smallest locomotive in the GE range in the 1940s and 50s. It was designed for the small industrial user. With 150hp and 150000NaN0 of tractive effort, it could pull half a dozen loaded cars on the level. Although the Arkansas nomination document asserts that "large Class I railroads would have used them for switching on light branch lines," standard freight cars of the time were up to 70 tons (64t) gross weight, or 17.5 tons (16t) per axle, so there was little need for 12.5 ton (11t) per axle locomotives on railroads, even on light branch lines, but GE built hundreds of them for industrial users.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.