ScaleTrains 32396 Rivet HO Scale GE ES44AH GEVo First Responders CSX 911

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.

Road Number Specific ScaleTrains

• Era: 2019 to present
• Series 800-949, built 1-9/08
• Road number 911
• Pride in Service “Spirit Of Our First Responders”
• A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this locomotive benefit the following non-profit organizations:
• Blue Star Families
• First Responders Children’s Foundation
• Operation Homefront
• Operation Gratitude
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Officially licensed by CSX
• Paint scheme created using paint & lettering diagrams provided by CSX
• First responders printed on cab side windows
• Operating LED front, rear, and side walkway lights*
• Operating LED front deck-mounted alternating ditch lights**
• Operating LED ground light on left side of locomotive*
• See-through round-hole stepwell steps
• Walkway with front anticlimber and support brackets
• Front and rear raised pilot-mounted Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
• Front dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles mounted to front anticlimber supports
• Single trainline hose with silver gladhand
• Rear wide-spaced dual dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
• Front and rear ECP brake equipment box and cable mounted on pilot face
• Pilot-mounted battery charging receptacles
• Sill-mounted tow chain
• Wide profile end handrails
• Early handrails with wrap over stanchions
• Front nose headlight
• Front straight grab irons mounted directly to the nose
• Front left side mounted narrow nose drop grab iron
• Left nose door with window
• Front high-mounted (cab) numberboard housings
• Early cab with optional 4 side windows and barrel bolt latches on subbase doors
• Left side under cab front access bolted X panel, rear door with square corrugated grille
• Dual cab side blue flag holder
• LSL (Locomotive Speed Limiter) indicator lights on cab sides (Non-operating)
• Tall mirror mounted in front of sliding cab side windows on both sides; additional small mirror on right side
• Cab roof octagonal antenna dome with small dome antenna
• Sand box clean out door with knuckle buster latch and hinge
• 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
• Lost wax brass cast Leslie RS-5T-RRO 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
• Raised radiator grille
• Right side radiator cab: fourth and fifth doors have tall grilles
• Angled water fill box
• AEI tag mounted to right sidesill
• Dual Graham-White (Prime) 075 air filters
• Graham-White 994-500 air dryer
• Late GE Steerable trucks with separately applied brake cylinders, air plumbing, rotating bearing caps, and reinforcement bar under center journal
• 5,300-gallon fuel tank with internal waste retention tank, digital fuel gauge, vertical fuel gauge, and round fuel gauge
• Dual fuel fills per side with rear fill “blanked”
• Angled top left side fuel tank top box
• Long sump drainpipe attached to the end of the fuel tank
• Semi-scale coupler buffers equipped with die-cast metal semi-scale SBE bottom shelf knuckle couplers

Rivet Counter ES44 Locomotives Also Feature

• Fully assembled
• Multiple road numbers
• Directional LED headlights
• Printed and LED lighted number boards*
• GE “nub” tread plate on walkways
• Detailed cab interior with separate floor, rear wall, seats, control stand, and grade crossing camera
• Tinted cab side windows
• Etched metal see-through dynamic brake intake grilles with blower motors visible inside
• See-through dynamic brake exhaust
• Separate exhaust stack
• 22 individually applied etched metal see-through radiator intake and exhaust grilles on sides and top of radiator compartment
• Accurately profiled frame with separately applied plumbing and cabling
• Factory-applied wire grab irons, snowplow, spare knuckles, 3-hose MU clusters with silver gladhands, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, air tanks, fuel tank mounted electronic bell, brake wheel, and more.
• All-wheel drive
• All-wheel electrical pick-up
• Dual flywheels
• Motor with 5-pole skew wound armature
• Printing and lettering legible under magnification
• Operates on Code 70, 83, and 100 rail
• Packaging safely stores model
• Minimum Radius: 18”
• Recommended Radius: 22

* Lighting features operate when using an ESU decoder with appropriate programming while operating using DCC

** In DC operation, both front ditch lights illuminate; rear ditch lights (if equipped) do not illuminate

*** Compatible with appropriately programmed ESU decoders while operating using DCC