Wabash Railroad

Wabash Railroad
The Wabash's City of St. Louis streamliner in the 1950s.
Overview
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri
Reporting markWAB
Locale
Dates of operation1837 (1837)–1964 (1964)
SuccessorNorfolk and Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length2,524 miles (4,062 kilometres)

The Wabash Railroad (reporting mark WAB) was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; and Toledo, Ohio.

The Wabash's major freight traffic advantage was the direct line from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, the Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982.