The 1947 order for 11 PA-1's by the Nickel Plate Road introduced the 45 degree angle number board on PA-1's. Nickel Plate's neighbor Wabash acquired a total of four PA-1's in May 1949 (delivered as #'s 1020-1020A, 1021-1021A, later renumbered 1050-1053), which joined a small fleet of E-7's already on the property. Through the years, the Alco's ran in multiple with the EMD's in service to St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and Detroit. In later years, the Wabash PA's lost their striking blue-gray-white colors for a more spartan all-blue with gold stripe. The PA's lasted into the N&W merger and were traded in to Alco by the N&W in March 1965 for new power. One unit had been wrecked, and the Wabash obtained one of the ex-Nickel Plate PA's to be cannibalized to rebuild the wrecked unit. This effort was terminated by the N&W merger.