WLs40/50
The WLs40 and WLs50 are narrow gauge diesel locomotives built in Poland, used mostly on industrial railways. A small number was used by Polish State Railways (PKP) as Ld1 class on narrow gauge railways in Poland. History The locomotive WLs40 was designed in state-owned factory Fablok in Chrzanów in 1950, basing upon pre-war industrial locomotive 1DK, built under German Deutz AG licence. Only two low-profile 1DK locomotives were manufactured in 1932, for underground coal mine service on 580 mm gauge tracks. Facing a shortage of industrial locomotives in the country ruined after World War II, Fablok adapted its design, fitting bigger cab at the rear and Polish-designed 40 hp S-64L four-cylinder Diesel engine (maximum power output was 44 hp). It was driving two axles by four-gear L8 mechanical transmission (developed from Deutz design), a jackshaft, connecting rods and coupling rods. The locomotive entered series production with a factory designation WLs40, which stood for Wąskotorowa - narrow-gauge, Lokomotywa - locomotive, spalinowa - internal combustion engine of 40 hp. A prototype was built in 1951 at state-owned Warsaw Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Works in Warsaw (Warszawskie Zakłady Budowy Urządzeń Przemysłowych, WZBUP), possibly followed by several dozens of locomotives. Then the authorities of centrally-planned