The WAM-1 was the first AC electric locomotive in India. It was developed and built by the European 50 Hz Group and its name stands for “Wide gauge, AC, Mixed service, first generation”. The French electric locomotives from this period served as models, although production was also carried out by Krauss-Maffei and Krupp.
In parallel with the WAM-1, Indian Railways also ordered the WAM-2 and WAM-3 from Japanese manufacturers. The WAM-1 was mainly used by the Eastern Railway in the Ganges plain. The use in passenger service ended with the introduction of the new three-phase locomotives in the 1990s. After that, they were only used in front of freight trains and in shunting duties. In the meantime, all of them have been retired, only No. 20202 “Jagjivan Ram” being preserved. 