The General Electric ES44AC was developed in the early 2000's and entered service in 2005. Commonly known as a  "GEVO" locomotive, these feature a 4400 horsepower GEVO12 prime mover designed to meet the EPA Tier 2 pollution reduction standards. These locomotives are both cleaner and more fuel efficient than their predecessors.

Since their introduction, the model has seen continued and significant improvement to take advantage of new technology and meet new requirements. GE is in the process of testing a natural gas variant as well as producing models to meet the EPA Tier 4 pollution reduction standards taking effect in 2015.

The model has been extremely successful with well over 5000 units having been produced with no end in sight.

Features

• ABS plastic body with heavy die cast chassis for maximum tractive effort
• Precision gearing optimized for switching with excellent slow-speed operation in DC and DCC
• 5-pole can motor with skew wound armature and dual fly wheels
• All-wheel drive and all-wheel electrical pick-up
• Paragon2 sound and control system with integral DC/DCC dual mode decoder for ease of operation
• Prototypical light operation with headlight, cab light, and rear light
• Operating smoke unit
• Operating knuckle couplers
• Factory installed engineer and fireman figures
• Separately Applied Handrails, Ladders, Whistle, and Brass Bell
• Will Operate on Code 70, 83, and 100 rail
• Recommended Minimum Radius: 18 inches