Introduced in 2012, General Electric’s ET44 GEVO Series represents the latest in diesel-electric locomotive technology. Nearly every Class I railroad in the United States and Canada roster the GE Tier 4 GEVO.

Our Rivet Counter series model renders the numerous variations of engine cab rooflines, antennas, dynamic brakes, trucks, and more. We’ve also incorporated LED lighting effects including front, rear, and side walkway lights; ground lights (when applicable); printed and lighted number boards; and ditch lights. Learn more by clicking the “Product Details” tab below.

PROTOTYPE HISTORY

Introduced in 2012, General Electric’s ET44 GEVO Series represents the latest in diesel-electric locomotive technology. The GE Tier 4 GEVO is designed to meet stringent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions regulations. The EPA “Tier” emissions standards are a series, or Tiers, of allowable emissions levels based upon a locomotives’ date of manufacture. The highest and most stringent tier level, Tier 4, sets maximum allowable NOx and hydrocarbon emissions levels for locomotives built for use in the United States from 2015 onward.

While similar in appearance to previous GE ES44 GEVO designs, the Tier 4 models featured a longer frame compared to their predecessors. This allows for a larger radiator “cab” (GE refers to the various sections of the long hood as “cabs”), and a “hump” over the engine cab for advanced exhaust treatment equipment.Initially, a boxy housing filled the entire roofline on the blue-painted field test/demonstrator units.

Due to changes in treatment equipment and clearance issues, the “hump” would decrease in size and shape into a boxy compartment around the exhaust on initial production units. This culminated in an angled compartment surrounding the exhaust manifold on locomotives produced since 2016. Despite boxier engine cab rooflines and a radically styled radiator cab, the basic Tier 4 design shares a family appearance with GE safety cab-equipped units going back to the DASH-9s of the 1990s. It even includes the same 12-cylinder GEVo-12 series prime mover and 4,400hp as its predecessor model.

In February of 2019, Wabtec purchased General Electric’s Transportation Division. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wabtec Corporation is a provider of equipment, operating systems, and services for freight and passenger rail systems all over the world. The company produces locomotives for customers both domestically and abroad, including the ET44 GEVO locomotives which are built in Wabtec’s plants in Fort Worth, Texas and Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Tier 4 units have proven to be popular with nearly all major U.S. and Canadian railroads. While GE has settled on a basic carbody design to keep production costs down, there are notable variations and detail differences due to customer specifications including antennas, dynamic brakes, trucks, and more. With over 1,000 units built, the ET44 is a common site on North American Class I Railroads.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Road Number Specific ScaleTrains

• Based on artist renderings featured in Wabtec promotional materials
• Era: based on GECX series 2025-2044, built 2014
• Early pre-production engine cab (long hood) roofline
• Lost wax brass cast Nathan Airchime K3HL horn on engine cab roof and recessed dual-chime horns on right rear of radiator “wings”
  • Horn in direction of travel is played when DCC & sound equipped locomotives are operated using DCC
• Operating LED front, rear, and side walkway lights*
• Operating front deck-mounted LED ditch lights**
• Prototype Wabtec ET44 does not have ground lights
• See-through round-hole stepwell steps
• Walkway with front anticlimber
• Right side AEI tag mounted to sidesill
• Narrow profile end handrails
• Front nose headlight
• Nose door with window
• Cab without barrel bolt latches on subbase doors
• No grade crossing camera
• Cab roof large square antenna dome, dual short STI-CO PTC antenna with domes and small button dome antenna
• Sand box clean out door with knuckle buster latch
• Left side dynamic brake cab: X panel front and dual blower dynamic brake with flush exhaust
• Right side dynamic brake cab: X panel door, small grille, door with grille, and door with grille
• Early production radiator grilles with tall grille on 3rd from front radiator door
• GE Hi-Ad trucks with separately applied brake cylinders, air plumbing, and rotating bearing caps
• 5,300 gallon fuel tank with external waste retention tank
• Dual fuel fills per side

Rivet Counter ET44 GEVO Locomotives Also Feature

• Fully-assembled
• Six (6) different road numbers
• Directional LED headlights
• Printed and LED lighted number boards*
• Tread plate on walkways
• Detailed cab interior with separate floor, rear wall, seats, control stand, and crossing grade 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
• 40 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
• 5,300 gallon fuel tank with external waste retention tank
• Factory-applied wire grab irons, snowplow, spare knuckles, trainline hoses, 3-hose MU clusters, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, air tanks, fuel tank mounted electronic bell, brake wheel, and more.
• Semi-scale coupler buffer equipped with durable metal semi-scale E Type knuckle couplers
• 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

DCC & sound equipped locomotives also feature:

• ESU-LokSound 5 decoder with “Full Throttle”
• Dual cube-type speakers
• Accurate GEVO-12 prime mover and auxiliary sounds, horn, bell, and more
• ESU PowerPack with two (2) super capacitors***
• Operates on both DC and DCC layouts*

DCC & sound ready locomotives also feature:

• Operate using DC
• DCC ready with 21-pin connector

* 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

Order Due Date: September 12, 2022

Anticipated Delivery Date: April 2023