ScaleTrains Rivet 33573 HO Scale GE ES44AC “Heritage III” BNSF 7342

In 2002, GE introduced the “Evolution Series” of locomotives. Better known as “GEVOs” or ES44s, this series has become the best-selling line of diesel locomotives of all time with production nearing 8,000 units. The Rivet Counter series model renders the numerous variations of cabs, dynamic brakes, doors, grilles, trucks, etc. They’ve also incorporated LED lighting effects including front, rear, and side walkway lights; ground lights; printed and lighted number boards; and ditch lights.

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.

FEATURES:

• Era: Early 2009 to approximately 2015
• Series 7245 to 7347, built 1/2009 – 12/2009
• Fully-assembled
• Multiple road numbers
• Prototype BNSF ES44s do not have ground lights
• Operating LED front, rear and rectangle side walkway lights*
• Operating LED front deck-mounted ditch lights
• Printed and LED lighted number boards*
• Semi-scale coupler buffers equipped with die-cast metal semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers
• Single trainline hose with silver gladhand
• Front dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles mounted to pilot face
• Front and rear raised pilot-mounted Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
• See-through round-hole stepwell steps
• Walkway with front anticlimber; no support brackets
• GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
• Early handrails with wrap over stanchion heads left long rail for no capacitor box and right long rail with bolted head on 2nd lower stanchion
• Narrow profile end handrails
• Sand box clean out door with knuckle buster latch
• Front nose headlight
• Front straight grab irons mounted directly to the nose
• Right nose door with window
• Front high-mounted (cab) numberboard housings
• Dual cab side blue flag holder
• Left side under cab front access bolted X panel; rear door with square corrugated grille
• Late cab without barrel bolt latches on subbase doors
• Detailed cab interior with separate floor, rear wall, seats, and control stand
• In cab grade crossing camera mounted on right side
• Tinted cab side windows
• Tall mirror mounted in front of sliding cab side windows on both sides; additional small mirror on right side
• Cab roof large square antenna dome and wireless matrix round dome antenna with conduit
• Dual hinged and latched cabinet doors
• See-through dynamic brake exhaust
• Left side dynamic brake cab: front blower, bolted X panel, and rear blower dynamic brake with flush exhaust
• Etched metal see-through dynamic brake intake grilles with blower motors visible inside
• Right side dynamic brake cab: door with grille, small X panel, door with X panel, and door with grille
• Dynamic brake cab door with low door handle and low mounted door handle bumper
• Left side auxiliary cab: 3 tall doors with latches on the #2 door and short auxiliary cab filter box door
• Right side auxiliary cab: 4 doors with latches on #1 and #4 doors
• ES44 style engine cab doors: latched first door in each set of three
• Two engine cab roof lift rings
• Lost wax brass cast Nathan AirChime K5HLR2 horn mounted on engine cab roof
• Separate exhaust stack
• Left side exhaust cab doors: latched last door in set of three
• Flush heat exchanger housing with two piece wide slot grille
• Raised radiator grille
• 22 individually applied etched metal see-through radiator intake and exhaust grilles on sides and top of radiator compartment
• Left side radiator cab grille arrangement: Raised doors. Grilles – tall-short-tall-short-tall, no grille under brake wheel short front angled grille and two-piece rear angled grille
• Right side radiator cab grille arrangement: Raised doors. Grilles – tall, short, tall, short, short, tall, short, tall, short front angled grill, two-piece rear angled grille
• Angled water fill box
• High mounted horizontal rear headlight
• Rear wide-spaced dual dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
• Accurately profiled frame with separately applied plumbing and cabling
• GE Hi-Ad trucks with separately applied brake cylinders, air plumbing, and rotating bearing caps and smooth section in sideframe over center axle
• Triangular handbrake chain bracket
• Toilet drain with interior handle
• AEI tag mounted to right sidesill
• Dual Graham-White (Salem) accordion 824 air filters
• Graham-White 994-500 air dryer
• 5,300-gallon fuel tank with internal waste retention tank, vertical fuel gauge, and round fuel gauge
• Dual fuel fills per side
• Flat top left side fuel tank top box
• Short crankcase drainpipe
• Factory-applied wire grab irons, snowplow with grab irons, spare knuckles, trainline hoses with silver gladhands, 3-hose MU clusters with silver gladhands, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, air tanks, fuel tank mounted electronic bell, brake wheel, 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 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

NOTE: Road number may vary from picture shown.