Description
Railroad Short Name: CN
In 2002, GE released the first GEVo, a new series of locomotives that would replace the AC4400CW and Dash 9-44CW. The first two models were the ES44DC and ES44AC. The ES44C4 followed a few years later.
The new models were designed to meet the stricter diesel locomotive emissions standards imposed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. The EPA “Tier” emissions standards are a series, or Tiers, of allowable emissions levels based upon a locomotive’s date of manufacture. In 2005, Tier 2 took effect followed by Tier 3 in 2010 and Tier 4 took in 2015.
GE developed a new diesel engine, the 12-cylinder GEVO 12, to meet the new emission standards. Both the bore and stroke were increased to produce the same 4,400 horsepower as the older 7FDL16 16-cylinder engine.
The new prime mover drives an alternator producing AC current that is rectified to DC current. On the ES44DC, this powers the traction motors. On the ES44AC and ES44C4, the DC current is “chopped” back into AC to power the traction motors. The two models share a common 73’ 2” frame and external appearance.
The external appearance is similar to the AC4400CW. In fact, the cab on early ES44s is almost identical. In 2009, GE changed the cab and nose, moving the nose door from the left side to the right side and replacing the curve seams with more square seams.
Unlike their predecessors, both the AC and DC versions of the ES44 have the large box behind the cab. The biggest visual difference is the larger “wing” structure over the radiator cab. The thicker radiators and related equipment in the radiator cab work to cool the exhaust, which reduces emissions.
Customer options and design changes have resulted in seven different dynamic brake configurations. The grilles on the sides of the radiator cab have also gone through seven configurations. The most recent units have changed the latches on the engine cab doors to match the ET44 units.
Although EPA Tier 4 standards went into effect in 2015, the ES44-series continue to be built. This is due to the Tier 4 Credits, a complicated system that allows GE to continue to build and various railroads to buy the ES44 based on the number of Tier 4 units built.
After 2 testbed units and 35 pre-production units, over 7,600 additional ES44s have been built. All of the major railroads including BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific have fleets with 100s of units. Florida East Coast, Ferromex, Iowa Interstate, and Kansas City Southern also operate ES44s. In addition, 131 were built as lease units for Citirail.
The ES44 has become the best-selling diesel locomotive of all time.
Locomotive Features:
- Era: 2012 to present
- Series 2800-2834, built 9/12 – 2/13
- Fully assembled
- Multiple road numbers
- Operating LED front deck mounted ditch lights
- Printed and LED lighted number boards
- Directional LED headlights
- Tall snowplow with open doors
- See-through round-hole stepwell steps
- Walkway with front anticlimber without supports
- GE “nub” tread plate on walkways
- Narrow profile end handrails
- Late handrails with U-bolt caps and narrow rear most stanchion on long side rails
- Nose door with window
- Front nose headlight
- Front high-mounted (cab) numberboard housings
- Late GE safety cab
- Sunshades
- Dual cab side blue flag holder
- Cab interior with floor, rear wall, seats, and control stand
- Left side under cab front access bolted X panel; rear door with square corrugated grille
- Sand box clean out door with knuckle buster latch
- Small hinged inverter cabinet door
- Left side dynamic brake cab: tri blower dynamic brake with flush exhaust
- Right side dynamic brake cab: door with grille, small grille, door with grille, and door with grille
- Short right side air intake grille
- Left side auxiliary cab: 3 medium doors with latches on the #2 door and long auxiliary cab filter box door
- Right side auxiliary cab: 4 doors with latches on #1 and #4 doors
- Nathan AirChime K5HLR2 horn mounted on engine cab roof
- ES44 style engine cab doors: latched first door in each set of three
- Left side exhaust cab doors: latched last door in set of three
- Flush heat exchanger housing
- Finely molded grilles
- Flat water fill box with sight glass
- Brake wheel
- Accurately profiled frame
- AEI tag mounted on bracket below the right sidesill
- GE Hi-Ad trucks with separately applied brake cylinders
- 5,300-gallon fuel tank
- Separate air tanks with lower mounting brackets
- Fuel tank mounted electronic bell
- Semi-scale coupler buffer
- Body-mounted semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers
- 5-pole skew wound motor with dual flywheels
- All-wheel drive and electrical pick-up
- Simplified printing and lettering legible under magnification
- Operates on Code 70, 83 and 100 rail
- Packaging safely stores model
- Pre-drilled for grab irons, coupler cut levers, MU hoses, trainline hoses, etc.
- Detail kit available separately (SXT81607)
- Minimum radius: 18”
- Recommended radius: 22”
- DCC & sound equipped locomotives also feature:
- Full function ESU-LokSound 5 decoder with “Full Throttle”
- Accurate GEVO-12 prime mover and auxiliary sounds, horn, bell, and more
- Operates on both DC and DCC layouts*
* Not all sound and lighting functions on DCC and sound equipped versions are operable using DC
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