The 475 mile long Wabash River is located in Indiana and on the border with Illinois. It was early part of the name of several railway companies whose network was in this area. In Illinois, too, railroad construction had begun as early as the 1830s. Finally, in 1889, the Wabash Railroad was formed as a merger of some of these companies.
The main route stretched from Detroit, Michigan to Kansas City, Missouri. The states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were passed through. The route was later extended to Buffalo, New York, passing through the Canadian province of Ontario. There were also other routes that also led to Wisconsin and Iowa.
In 1915 the Wabash Railroad went into foreclosure and was re-established as the Wabash Railway. This was soon able to make a lot of revenue especially with freight traffic between Kansas City and Detroit, with Ford being one of the most important customers. Successful passenger trains were also offered, such as the “Cannon Ball”.
In the 1920s, the Pennsylvania Railroad gained influence in the Wabash. This reached a track length of 2,525 miles in 1929. After another receivership in 1931, it took ten years for the company to be re-established as the Wabash Railroad.
After the Second World War, they began to convert passenger trains to diesel with the EMD E7. In the 1950s, work was then carried out at high speed dieselize freight trains as well. In 1964 it was finally taken over by Norfolk & Western.
The Wabash Railroad had a total of 38 Moguls built in 1899, which came from three manufacturers and were initially classed as class I. A total of 18 locomotives were built by the Richmond Locomotive Works and Baldwin and had a large firebox for their time and a relatively small boiler. 15 other locomotives came from the Rhode Island Locomotive Works and had a larger boiler. All of these simple-expansion locomotives were later classified as F-4. Also built by Rhode Island and Richmond were five two-cylinder compound locomotives which later became the class F-5. 
| Variant | F-4 Richmond, Baldwin | F-4 Rhode Island | F-5 |
|---|
| General |
| Built | 1899 |
| Manufacturer | Richmond, Baldwin | Rhode Island | Rhode Island, Richmond |
| Axle config | 2-6-0 (Mogul) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge) |
| Dimensions and Weights |
| Wheelbase | 22 ft 4 in | 22 ft 7 in |
| Rigid wheelbase | 14 ft |
| Total wheelbase | 48 ft 6 in | 48 ft 8 in |
| Service weight | 123,525 lbs | 128,000 lbs | 123,525 lbs |
| Adhesive weight | 105,525 lbs |
| Total weight | 219,825 lbs | 224,300 lbs | 219,825 lbs |
| Axle load | 37,590 lbs |
| Water capacity | 4,500 us gal |
| Fuel capacity | 20,000 lbs (coal) |
| Boiler |
| Grate area | 32 sq ft | 31.2 sq ft | 32 sq ft |
| Firebox area | 154 sq ft | 153.2 sq ft | 164 sq ft |
| Tube heating area | 1,453 sq ft | 1,563.8 sq ft | 1,443 sq ft |
| Evaporative heating area | 1,607 sq ft | 1,717 sq ft | 1,607 sq ft |
| Total heating area | 1,607 sq ft | 1,717 sq ft | 1,607 sq ft |
| Power Plant |
| Driver diameter | 63 in |
| Boiler pressure | 185 psi | 195 psi |
| Expansion type | simple | compound |
| Cylinders | two, 19 x 28 in | two, HP: 20 1/2 x 28 in
and LP: 32 1/2 x 28 in |
| Power |
| Power source | steam |
| Estimated power | 900 hp (671 kW) | 910 hp (679 kW) | 940 hp (701 kW) |
| Optimal speed | 23 mph | 27 mph |
| Starting effort | 25,230 lbf | 22,147 lbf |
| with start valve | | 26,576 lbf |
| Calculated Values |
| Factor of adhesion | 1 : 4.18 | 1 : 3.97 |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 0.0073 hp/lb | 0.0071 hp/lb | 0.0076 hp/lb |
| Heating Area Equivalent | 2,376.8 sq ft | 2,483 sq ft | 2,426.8 sq ft |
| Cylinder volume/HAE | 1 : 1178.33 | 1 : 1127.91 | 1 : 1154.05 |
| Adhesive weight/Total | 1 : 1.17 | 1 : 1.21 | 1 : 1.17 |
| Tractive force/Heating area | 1 : 3529.52 | 1 : 3303.39 | 1 : 3717.87 |
| Grate area/Heating area | 1 : 45.45 | 1 : 50.11 | 1 : 45.14 |
| Firebox/Tube area | 1 : 9.44 | 1 : 10.21 | 1 : 8.80 |
| HP/LP cylinders | | 1 : 2.51 |
In 1912, the Wabash had procured the last new passenger locomotives with the 16 class J-1 Pacifics. In 1916, a class G-1 locomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement was taken instead and converted into a 4-6-2. The G-2 was particularly suitable because it already had 70-inch wheels and was less than ten years old. The locomotive was lengthened by about four feet and the leading axle was replaced with a bogie.
Since the conversion was successful, another 22 of the total of 60 engines of the G-1 class were converted in this form. Some of these had received the numbers between 1676 and 1681 and were used between New York and Ontario, the others carried the numbers from 683 to 699 and remained entirely in the USA. The first of these was retired in January 1947 and the last in February 1952.
| General |
| Built | 1916-1926 |
| Manufacturer | Wabash Railroad |
| Axle config | 4-6-2 (Pacific) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge) |
| Dimensions and Weights |
| Wheelbase | 34 ft 4 in |
| Rigid wheelbase | 13 ft 4 in |
| Total wheelbase | 64 ft 8 in |
| Service weight | 241,000 lbs |
| Adhesive weight | 151,400 lbs |
| Total weight | 394,000 lbs |
| Axle load | 52,900 lbs |
| Water capacity | 6,000 us gal |
| Fuel capacity | 20,000 lbs (coal) |
| Boiler |
| Grate area | 54.3 sq ft |
| Firebox area | 218 sq ft |
| Tube heating area | 2,947 sq ft |
| Evaporative heating area | 3,165 sq ft |
| Superheater area | 740 sq ft |
| Total heating area | 3,905 sq ft |
| Power Plant |
| Driver diameter | 70 in |
| Boiler pressure | 200 psi |
| Expansion type | simple |
| Cylinders | two, 22 1/2 x 28 in |
| Power |
| Power source | steam |
| Estimated power | 1,975 hp (1,473 kW) |
| Optimal speed | 37 mph |
| Starting effort | 34,425 lbf |
| Calculated Values |
| Factor of adhesion | 1 : 4.40 |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 0.0082 hp/lb |
| Heating Area Equivalent | 5,735 sq ft |
| Cylinder volume/HAE | 1 : 684.83 |
| Adhesive weight/Total | 1 : 1.59 |
| Tractive force/Heating area | 1 : 1981.83 |
| Grate area/Heating area | 1 : 67.96 |
| Firebox/Tube area | 1 : 16.91 |
| Total/Superheater | 1 : 4.28 |