WAB E-8 Refurbished

wilkinsd · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:15 am

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Looks super sharp, especially considering the shape she was in.

Also, isn't this a "milestone" EMD locomotive, like number 15,000?

NH0401 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:31 am

Yes, David. WAB 1008 is the 10,000th EMD locomotive.

Dave

Jdelhaye · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:38 am

Attachment:

10000.jpg [ 146.26 KiB | Viewed 7722 times ]

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:20 pm

She will have decal type replica plates after the restoration. The originals are in a safe place

Joshua K. Blay · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:47 pm

Stunning.

https://www.facebook.com/norfolksouther ... =1&theater

Joshua

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:49 pm

Photo released this morning by Norfolk Southern via Facebook:

Quote:

Wabash E8A #1009 was the 10,000th diesel locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division, commemorated on June 14, 1951, at its LaGrange, Illinois, facility. Upon retirement, it went to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. After falling victim to a flood in 1985, the unit fell into a state of disrepair for many years. During 2012, it went to Norfolk Southern's East End Shop in Roanoke for a cosmetic rebuild, and again moved to the NS paint shop in Chattanooga, Tn., at the end of 2013 where it was painted into its as-delivered scheme. The final touches were applied on March 3, 2014, and 1009 looks as good as new again. It will return to display at the VMT, and is planned to celebrate its 63rd birthday during the "Streamliners" event at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina, from May 29 through June 1, 2014

wilkinsd · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2014 2:09 pm

THAT is a nice looking locomotive.

Gary, can you comment who did the decal builder's plate replacements?

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:58 am

David, Miller Graphics did the artwork, Fast Signs the production. Same folks who do all our stencils. (for all you modelers out there, some of the folks involved also run SHellscale decals)

Randolph R. Ruiz · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:08 am

It is a beautiful design. Great combination of speedy streamline waves and wings combined with a classy palette of colors.

One thing I don't get though. Anyone know the thinking behind the dark blue rectangle below the first two portholes? It looks like something a manager insisted upon thinking it would match the equally bad blue rectangles they had on their passenger cars. All they needed to do was add semi-circles to the end of those panels and they would have at least fit in. Sorry if this upsets any Wabash fans. I figure there must be a story here, since it is otherwise a stunning look.

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

I think the 'rectangle' is actually supposed to be body color between two speedlines. Lines up with the 'WABASH" in a box further back. (Having said that, of course, I see that the version of this scheme on FAs does not have the 'blue rectangle' in question; it's just a white or gray side panel...)

Yes, if I were designing the scheme, I'd have continued the two speedlines all the way back, but that would not have set the 'Wabash' off as distinctively as it now is. Perhaps thin white lines in front of and behind the name to set off the 'block' with the name.

Some of the GM Styling themes that went on E units were a bit strange -- this has been commented on in Trains Magazine (with respect to the 'generic' and demonstrator schemes GM used,,,)

milepost205 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:47 pm

The rectangular blue block is what they called the "name block". There is photo documentation that the words City of Kansas City were lettered inside the name block on an early Wabash E-7 locomotive. This practice apparently didn't last too long, due to the pooling of the Wabash's E-unit locomotives for the different named trains; i.e., they didn't want a locomotive lettered for the City of St. Louis to be heading up the City of Kansas City, Blue Bird, etc.

James Holzmeier
Wabash RR Hist. Soc.

milepost205 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:59 pm

This is a photo of my maternal grandfather behind the controls of #1009 in the late 1950's, getting ready to pull away from the Moberly, MO passenger station. Note the commemorative plaque in-place, as well as safety striping. The name block was deleted in the mid to late 1950's, as the E units came in to be repainted.

As you can surmise, this project is really a dream come true for me personally, as well as for the BOD of the WRHS. I will be in attendance at Spencer to see her up-close & personal and perhaps be able to sit in the same seat as my grandpa.

Bravo to everyone at NS and VMT for getting this project underway & done!

James Holzmeier
Wabash RR Hist. Soc.

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:25 pm

1009 arrived back home at VMT around 5 this afternoon, spotted on track 2 by NS ex-SR MP15 2401. We will be switching her under the trainshed onto track one at the opposite end from 611 for display until her trip south for the Spencer Streamliner Festival sometime in the next few days.