Prototype History
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.
NS was an important customer with over 1,000 Dash-9s on the roster. They preferred customized models in the form of 100 spartan-cab equipped, 4,000hp C40-9s (nicknamed “Top Hats”) and numerous examples of safety cab-equipped versions rated at 4,000hp, and designated as C40-9Ws. All C40-9/Ws would eventually be uprated to 4,400hp with their designations changed accordingly.
Over the years, the Dash-9s could be found in a variety of assignments. Santa Fe’s C44-9Ws were delivered in the famed red and silver “Superfleet” scheme and could be found hurtling across the southwest with hot piggyback trailer and container trains in tow.
Southern Pacific’s units were some of the first new six-axle power on the beleaguered railroad’s roster in more than a decade. They were pressed into a variety of assignments ranging from hot intermodal trains to coal and iron ore drags.
Chicago & North Western’s units made their debut in flashy “lightning stripe” livery and handled numerous assignments during their brief tenure before being absorbed by Union Pacific
The Dash-9 series remained in production until the early 2000s when it was superseded by GE’s “Evolution Series” ES40/44-series models. Age has begun to catch up with the earliest C44-9W and related models so some railroads are storing and/or rebuilding these veteran units. NS’s oldest units, the spartan-cab C40-9s, are being rebuilt with the latest GE safety cab for increased crew comfort and safety plus AC-traction for increased performance.
Originally built in the early 1990s, some of BNSF’s former Santa Fe fleet are also in the process of being rebuilt with AC-traction to extend their service lives and improve their performance.
Built over a long timeframe, and proving to be a solid, upgradeable platform, the C44-9W family of locomotives including rebuilds is sure to remain a fixture on today’s railroads for the foreseeable future.
Road Number Specific ScaleTrains
- Series 9564 to 9664; ex-SP 8100 to 8200, built 5/94 to 11/94
- Road number 9565; ex-SP 8101
- Era: mid to late 2000s
- Red side sill stripe
- Large Sinclair “ice skate” communications antenna, small Sinclair “ice skate” End of Train (EOT) telemetry antenna, “wedge” antenna, and GPS dome
- Yellow painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K5HR24 horn mounted on engine cab
- Early speed recorder
- Road number 9568; ex-SP 8104
- Era: mid to late 2000s
- Red side sill stripe
- Large Sinclair “ice skate” communications antenna, small Sinclair “ice skate” End of Train (EOT) telemetry antenna, “wedge” antenna, and GPS dome
- Yellow painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K3HAR2 horn mounted on engine cab
- Early speed recorder
- Road number 9569; ex-SP 8105
- Era: mid to late 2000s
- Red side sill stripe
- Large Sinclair “ice skate” communications antenna, small Sinclair “ice skate” End of Train (EOT) telemetry antenna, “wedge” antenna, and GPS dome
- Gray painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime P3 with “shower caps” horn mounted on engine cab
- Early speed recorder
- Road number 9572; ex-SP 8108
- Era: mid to late 2000s
- Red side sill stripe
- Large Sinclair “ice skate” communications antenna, small Sinclair “ice skate” End of Train (EOT) telemetry antenna, “wedge” antenna, and GPS dome
- Yellow painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime P3 with “shower caps” horn mounted on engine cab
- GE speed recorder
- Road numbers 9564; ex-SP 8188
- Era: mid 2010’s to present
- Yellow side sill stripe
- Retrofitted with Jem Communications PTC antenna farm with Sinclair antennas
- Yellow painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K3HAR2 horn with “shower caps” mounted on engine cab
- GE speed recorder
- Road number 9643; ex-SP 8179
- Era: mid 2010’s to present
- Yellow side sill stripe
- Retrofitted with Jem Communications PTC antenna farm with Sinclair antennas
- Yellow painted Dayton-Phoenix Group model 2806220 HVAC unit
- Lost-wax brass Nathan AirChime K3HAR2 horn with “shower caps” mounted on engine cab
- Early speed recorder
- Fully-assembled
- Multiple road numbers
- Operating LED front, rear, and side walkway lights*
- Operating front deck mounted LED ditch lights**
- Tall snowplow with open doors and grab irons
- 5-step stepwells with see through steps
- Walkway with front anticlimber
- GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
- Retrofitted straight nose front grab irons
- Narrow profile end handrails
- Front nose headlight
- Nose door with window
- Two-piece nose top grab irons
- Standard battery box doors
- GE safety cab with three (3) side windows
- Detailed cab interior with desktop controls for both engineer and conductor, seats floor, and rear wall
- Tinted cab side windows
- Early dynamic brake exhaust
- Early electrical cabinet with drop grab irons on rear
- Early curved engine cab profile
- Early flanged exhaust stack housing
- Early radiator door grille all the same size
- “Bathtub” exhaust silencer
- 26 individually-applied etched metal see-through radiator intake and exhaust grilles on sides and top of radiator compartment
- Standard wheel type handbrake
- Low-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 upper mounting brackets
- Salem twin tower air dryer
- Fuel tank mounted steel bell
- 5,000-galon fuel tank with vertical weld seam
- Dual fuel fills per side with rear fill “blanked”
- Round and vertical analog fuel gauges
- Late Hi-Ad trucks with cantilever 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
- Paint colors match Tru-Color Paint color: (note TCP item numbers)
- 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 DCC and Sound decoder with “Full Throttle”
- Two (2) cube-type speakers
- Accurate FDL-16 prime mover and auxiliary sounds, horn, bell, and more
- ESU-designed PowerPack with two (2) super capacitors***
- Operates on both DC and DCC layouts
DCC & sound ready locomotives also feature:
- Operate on DC layouts
- 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: April 26, 2021
Anticipated Delivery Date: December 2021
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