Description
Railroad Short Name: NS
General Electric wrestled the title of top domestic locomotive builder from EMD during the late 1980s with their Dash-8 series. GE once again positioned themselves to shakeup the locomotive world yet again less than a decade later. Entering the 1990s, GE completely revamped their locomotive lineup by utilizing customer feedback, learning from experience gained from previous locomotive series, and improvements in technology.
A single C44-9W demonstrator unit, numbered 8601, made its debut in 1993 (and later became C&NW 8601). While similar at first glance to predecessor models like the C40-8 and C40-8W, the Dash-9 series featured a few notable physical differences. Built on a slightly longer platform that allowed for a massive 5,000 gallon fuel tank, Dash-9s also featured thicker radiator “wings” at the rear of the carbody. This is usually the quickest way to differentiate them from previous models.
Thanks to its long production span and customer options, small detail differences could be noted between various customer orders. This includes changes with HVAC system vendors (the large “A/C” box behind the cab on the conductors side), engine cab profile, radiator lifting lugs, hood end, trucks, fuel tank, stepwells, operator’s cab, and even handrail profiles.
The C44-9W proved to be extremely popular over its production span with over 3,500 locomotives being sold new to ATSF, BC Rail, BNSF, CN, C&NW, NS (including 100 spartan cab equipped versions, nicknamed “Top Hats”), QNS&L, SP, and UP.
Locomotive Features:
- Era: early 2000s to 2010s
- Series 8764 to 8888, built 1/95 to 4/95
- Road number 8774
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted white
- Small Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Cast handbrake wheel with release lever painted gray
- End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket painted yellow on left front truck sideframe
- Road numbers 8786
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted black
- Small Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Stamped handbrake wheel
- End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket painted black on left front truck sideframe
- Road number 8814
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted black
- No Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime P5 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Stamped handbrake wheel
- No End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket
- Road number 8828
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted white
- Small Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Stamped handbrake wheel
- End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket painted yellow on left front truck sideframe
- Road number 8831
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted black
- Small Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Cast handbrake wheel with release lever painted gray
- No End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket
- Road number 8844
- Roof top mounted Dayton-Phoenix 2807000 HVAC painted black
- Large Sinclair antenna mounted on top of clean air cab
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime P5 horn with debris covers mounted on engine cab
- Cast handbrake wheel with release lever pained black
- End of Train Device (EOTD) hanger bracket painted yellow on left front truck sideframe
- Fully-assembled
- Multiple road numbers
- Operating LED front, rear, and side walkway lights*
- Operating front and rear deck mounted alternating LED ditch lights**
- Operating LED ground light on right side of locomotive*
- Printed and operating LED lighted number boards*
- GE spartan cab with cab-face condensation drain line and operating cab side windows
- Late flat-top low hood
- Tall snowplow with open doors and grab irons
- 4-step stepwells with see through steps
- Walkway with front and rear anticlimber
- GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
- Wide profile end handrails
- Battery box doors with barrel bolt latches
- Detailed cab interior with standard control stand for engineer, desktop for conductor, seats, floor, and rear wall
- Dual Motorola ASP-16 “Firecracker” antennas mounted on clean air cab
- Late dynamic brake exhaust
- Late electrical cabinet with step on rear and Barrel Bolt Latches
- Early curved engine cab profile
- Early flanged exhaust stack housing
- “Bathtub” exhaust silencer
- 26 individually-applied etched metal see-through radiator intake and exhaust grilles on sides and top of radiator compartment
- Late radiator door grilles in alternating heights
- High-mounted rear sandfiller
- Early lifting lugs on ends of radiator wings
- Accurately profiled frame with separately applied plumbing and traction motor cabling
- Semi-scale coupler buffer equipped with durable metal semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers
- Separate air tanks with lower mounting brackets, connector pipe and connector pipe cover
- Dual Graham-White (Prime) air filters
- Graham-White (Salem) 975-100-Twin-Tower-Dryer
- Fuel tank mounted steel bell
- 5,000-galon fuel tank with vertical weld seam
- Single fuel fills per side
- Round and vertical analog fuel gauge
- Hi-Ad trucks with separately applied brake cylinders, air plumbing, and non-cantilevered struts on all four sideframes
- Rotating axle bearing caps
- Early, square handbrake chain bracket
- Spare coupler knuckle holders on rear pilot face
- Factory-applied detail parts: wire grab irons, snowplow, spare knuckles, trainline hoses, 3-hose MU clusters, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, air tanks, fuel tank mounted bell, brake wheel, exhaust stack and more
- Motor with 5-pole skew wound armature
- Dual flywheels
- All-wheel drive
- All-wheel electrical pick-up
- Directional LED headlights
- Printing and lettering legible under magnification
- Operates on Code 70, 83, and 100 rail
- Packaging safely stores model
- Minimum Radius: 18”
- Recommended Radius: 22”
DCC & sound ready locomotives also feature:
- Operate on DC layouts
- DCC ready with 21-pin connector
* Note: some sound and lighting functions on DCC & sound-equipped versions are not operable using DC
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.