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84 replies

Finally - a GE Production Tier IV locomotive

N naveenrajanOGR Forum Member

Now here is a photo of Canadian National ET44AC locomotive from the following website that has a lot of good-looking photos of modern Canadian National locomotives. If budget restrictions hadn’t forced me to stick to BNSF & UP O-Scale models, I would have bought some of these good-looking CN models.

Anybody notice how CN no longer buys GE Evolution models with the 5-sided front-windshields or marker lights. Unlike the discussions on the 2-rail forum about differences in door-screens for the older EMD F-units, these newer locomotive models must be comparatively economical for MTH to make with fewer variations.

 

http://ewebcarpenters.com/beta...TED/2015/July/cn.php

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

N naveenrajanOGR Forum Member

Joe,

Did you notice that the CSX ET44AH no longer uses the GE radial truck? With Canadian Pacific also going to the Hi-Ad truck midway during the earlier ES44AC order, CSX might have been the last Class 1 railroad to keep ordering GE Evolution locomotives with radial trucks. If Ferromex & our regional railroad, Iowa Interstate also ordered the Tier IV locomotives without their customary radial trucks, then we might not see ET44AC or ET44AH with radial trucks.

Maybe they standardized the trucks to make it easier on Lionel so that Lionel’s customers would stop complaining that their expensive models lack railroad-specific details. OK the last statement was not true. It was just a joke I came up with.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 
Originally Posted by Engineer-Joe:

Thank you Sir!

Very nice. I saved a copy for future use!

 

Last edited by naveenrajan
Engineer-JoeEngineer-JoeOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Originally Posted by naveenrajan:
 

Joe,

This one is for you, a GE Tier IV locomotive in CSX colors.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Originally Posted by Engineer-Joe:

Well, .....it looks easier to make a model of!

I like it!

 

"Joe,

Did you notice that the CSX ET44AH no longer uses the GE radial truck? With Canadian Pacific also going to the Hi-Ad truck midway during the earlier ES44AC order, CSX might have been the last Class 1 railroad to keep ordering GE Evolution locomotives with radial trucks. If Ferromex & our regional railroad, Iowa Interstate also ordered the Tier IV locomotives without their customary radial trucks, then we might not see ET44AC or ET44AH with radial trucks."

This would actually help me be more accurate if I make a G scale model. I could produce either probably roughly. I already have several sets of spare side frames that would work nearly as is for that truck. I could probably skip any hydraulic axle lifting mechanisms and maybe no one would even notice?

Last edited by Engineer-Joe
Nick ChillianisNick ChillianisOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by CNtomato:
Originally Posted by Stuart:
Originally Posted by CNtomato:

Not sure if I like the hump in the back, but the radiators looks cool. Does anyone know if EMD has a new design one the way? 

I doubt it.  EMD has big problems right now because their 710 two-stroke diesel engine cannot achieve Tier 4 emissions without using after treatment liquids (urea). and the big railroads don't want to use that system. 

 

Stuart

 

Originally Posted by rtr12:
Originally Posted by CNtomato:

Not sure if I like the hump in the back, but the radiators looks cool. Does anyone know if EMD has a new design one the way? 

EMD was not be able to meet the Tier 4 specs this year. I think Trains Magazine said it would be 2017 before they were going to release a new Tier 4 engine. 

 

(I read the article a few months ago and my memory is not what it used to be, 2017 really seems like a long time. Could have been 2016, but it certainly seems to me like they said 2017?)

Thanks for the replies . That's too bad, I'll be waiting.

 

EMD is selling a ton of export locomotives to places that aren't subject to an out-of-control EPA or the State of California's emissions regime.

John Pignatelli JR.John Pignatelli JR.OGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by Swafford:

Received this from BNSF Media Dept. this morning....................

 

The following inquiry was submitted to BNSF Railway Media Center on
07/20/15
20:14 (1589054):
From : Clint Stewart (clints)
Date : 07/21/15
08:53

Hello Frank,

The best information I have found is E=
Evolution Series and T= Tier 4.
 I hope this information
helps.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

From
: Frank Swafford
Date : 07/20/15 20:14

Good Day,
I
wondering................. what the acronym ET mean for BNSF on your
new
General Electric ET44C4 diesel locomotives?

Regards,
Frank
Swafford

Frank with those wings on her tail she may be ET's new ride. 

rtr12rtr12OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
Originally Posted by John Pignatelli JR.:
Originally Posted by Swafford:

Received this from BNSF Media Dept. this morning....................

 

The following inquiry was submitted to BNSF Railway Media Center on
07/20/15
20:14 (1589054):
From : Clint Stewart (clints)
Date : 07/21/15
08:53

Hello Frank,

The best information I have found is E=
Evolution Series and T= Tier 4.
 I hope this information
helps.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

From
: Frank Swafford
Date : 07/20/15 20:14

Good Day,
I
wondering................. what the acronym ET mean for BNSF on your
new
General Electric ET44C4 diesel locomotives?

Regards,
Frank
Swafford

Frank with those wings on her tail she may be ET's new ride. 

If they make one just like that (only smaller to fit my track), I'm in. Might even take two.

N naveenrajanOGR Forum Member

Last weekend the city of Galesburg, IL celebrated their annual Railroad Days festival. BNSF has the 2nd largest classification yard on their network here & as in the prior years, had a GE locomotive on display. The last 5 years they had ES44C4 on display but this year they had a brand new Tier-IV compliant ET44C4 on display. The public were allowed to climb on designated portions of the locomotive & there were GE & BNSF employees in the cab to answer any questions & were also willing to vacate their seats so that the public could pose in the engineer’s or conductor’s chair.

I spent over 30 minutes with these employees who also accompanied me outside the cab & on the ground to help me identify some new parts on this model.

20160625_150338 [1280x960)20160625_154628 [1280x960)20160625_164930 [1280x960)

So here are the changes. The ET44C4 is 16” longer than the ES44AC / ES40DC / ES44C4. We tried to identify where that extra length was since the front & rear portions of the locomotive seemed similar to the ES44C4 from prior years. The fuel tank also looked similar to the fuel tank on the ES44C4 but there is this trapezoidal tank between the fuel tank & the rear truck. We tried to identify the purpose of this tank by looking at some openings in the frame of the locomotive behind the engine & from some pipes around it & to the employee’s best guess, it was some sort of retention tank for any fluids that might puddle in the engine cab.

20160625_154653 [1280x960)20160625_154711 [1280x960)

The was only 1 alternator on the ET44C4 compared to 2 on the ES44C4. On the ES44C4 there was the main alternator that provided the traction needs & there was a second alternator to drive the fans / blowers or some other accessories. The ET44C4 had just 1 alternator & a massive bank of invertors directly behind the operator’s cab which the employee felt might also where some of the extra length went.

20160625_155433 [1280x960)20160625_155455 [1280x960)

 

As seen in all the prior photos, the radiator section at the rear looked different & long. The ET44C4 has 2 radiator fans. Around 40% of the output of 1 of these fans is something that the air-to-air heat-exchanger on the ES44C4 did. As a result, the ET44C4 does not have the split radiator shape we had seen on the ES44AC / ES40DC / ES44C4.

20160625_154938 [1280x960)

Finally, here is a photo of my daughter & me, taken sitting in the engineer’s seat & another picture of my family that fellow OGR member, Mike DeBerg took. Thanks Mike.

20160625_163521 [1280x960)20160625_164307 [1280x960)

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

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Nick ChillianisNick ChillianisOGR Forum Member
naveenrajan posted:

I had seen photos of the dark-blue pre-production GE Tier IV compliant locomotives online but just saw some pictures of the production version of this locomotive – apparently a C4 version (4 axles with traction motors, in a 6-axle locomotive) for BNSF.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...cture.aspx?id=208714

 

GE TIER IV production locomotive

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Looks like a GE to me.   If you've seen one you've seen 'em all.

Pardon me if I'm a little jaded but that's all CSX runs around here. Even the BNSF run-though power is 99-3/4% GE.

Only the UP run-throughs regularly show up with EMDs, mostly SD70Ms.

 

 

N naveenrajanOGR Forum Member

Thanks for the comments. I just remembered some more information that I didn’t mention in the earlier post. The wheels on this ET44C4 are 43”. There were markings on the locomotive, above the truck specifying this. To the extent I still remember the markings on the ES44DC or ES44C4 from the prior years, they were all 42”.

The maintenance interval for the ET44C4 is still 180 days & 368 days as for the older Evolution models & the maintenance personnel at BNSF love these newer ET44C4. The older GE locomotives with DC traction motors required them to replace the commutator brushes every time the locomotive came into the shop (unless it was brand new). Apparently the brushes, being made of carbon were prone to cracks or breaking if the locomotive went over some rough train tracks & even though the brushes had wear-limit markings, the shop personnel had to replace them more often for cracking rather than for being worn out. For the ES44C4 or the ET44C4, they only have to inspect the wiring leading to traction motors for damage & along with some other service related improvements, they can get these locomotives back in service relatively quicker.

Even though ET44C4 does not use urea for exhaust gas aftertreatment, they use the same diesel fuel as in any other diesel-electric locomotive.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

RT Rusty TraqueOGR Forum Member
naveenrajan posted:

Last weekend the city of Galesburg, IL celebrated their annual Railroad Days festival. BNSF has the 2nd largest classification yard on their network here & as in the prior years, had a GE locomotive on display. The last 5 years they had ES44C4 on display but this year they had a brand new Tier-IV compliant ET44C4 on display. The public were allowed to climb on designated portions of the locomotive & there were GE & BNSF employees in the cab to answer any questions & were also willing to vacate their seats so that the public could pose in the engineer’s or conductor’s chair.

 

20160625_154711 [1280x960)

Naveen Rajan

Gee...  Brand-spakin' new, on public display and already vandalized.

Rusty

B BobbyDOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Thanks Naveen. Now we will have to see if anyone makes one in O scale. At least a non prototypical "Santa Fe" Warbonnet one! Not a fan of the "But It's Not Santa Fe" scheme though the swoosh is better lettering wise. Saw a bunch of UP EMD and GE's running last weekend. One thing we noticed is that some of them are getting pretty grungy, almost to SP or CP need a repaint status!

Last edited by BobbyD
JD Jason DickieOGR Forum Member
@Nick Chillianis posted:

Looks like a GE to me.   If you've seen one you've seen 'em all.

Pardon me if I'm a little jaded but that's all CSX runs around here. Even the BNSF run-though power is 99-3/4% GE.

Only the UP run-throughs regularly show up with EMDs, mostly SD70Ms.

 

 

Just to cheer you up Nick, be grateful you haven't seen 'em all and there is one type I can't bring myself to post a pic of.  Exported to the UK, the Class 70.  Hope you're sitting down:

xxxxx://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...eightliner_70017.jpg
  - bad link ... see pic below!!!

Unless I'm careful I can see them most days!
Jason

Last edited by Jason Dickie
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