This evening, my good buddy and NS company photographer captured the first C40-9 (Top Hat as we railfans call them) that has been rebuilt essentially into an ES44AC. NS will be calling them an AC44C6M. None the less, in true NS fashion they feature a D&H tribute scheme to honor the first conversation.... SNAZZZY!
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Now that is AWESOME!!!! I WANT ONE! This has got to be the only special paint scheme I like.
Another very creative tribute paint scheme by NS. However, as a big fan of the D&H, I was selfishly hoping they would use a more prototypical D&H paint scheme similar to what they did with the "original" batch of Heritage units.
Would have to agree with Joe above, this doesn't evoke images of anything 'D&H related' to me at all. Wonder what their inspiration/rationale was....
Looks good, I would love one as well. 
Looks more like a UP take on a heritage unit.
Don't think it has anything to do with D&H. Think it's just showing off the DC to AC upgrade.
Andrew Lawrence posted:Don't think it has anything to do with D&H. Think it's just showing off the DC to AC upgrade.
You may be on to something, Andy! This "lightning stripe" just may be NS's representation of electricity and may have nothing to do with the D&H lightning stripe paint scheme. At least that's what I'm hoping anyway! 
Wow what a photograph
Nice paint job but I agree this may not be a tribute to the D&H because it isn't a "heritage" type paint scheme, just D&H colors.
Cool!
I thought that this paint scheme is the new CP-NS scheme. ��
Yes it may look similar to D&H. But it really doesn't to me. Reminds me of the colors of the Lionel NS Heritage SD70ACe #1982 Product 6-28334. I find the paint scheme ok, but I thought it might be more better if the blue and grey were darker. But either way, NS is doing nice jobs on paint schemes.
A beauty!
The pattern looks like a large version of a horse's mane.
Andrew
I hate to break the news but...... NS has removed all photos of the engine from Railpictures and Facebook. word on the street is CP doesn't like paint scheme.
Actually, from what I've been told it has nothing to do with CP, but a rival railroad that uses a lot of .. and [ ] in their logos...
One would have thought it came from CP based on the colors and D&H overtures, but that's not the case.
The unit is back in the paint shop in Chattanooga for revision.
They used YELLOW numbers on the side of the cab.
would be nice in 0 gauge by mth or in s gauge by lionel
Unfortunately this locomotive is heading back for the paint shop… Even if they do repaint it, it probably won't be black, knowing how NS has been for the past year.
FALCONSERVICE,
I think I would have to agree that it looks more like a horses mane. Being a D&H fan, but IMHO, the colors are close to D&H. Even the combination of yellow lettering and numbering on the cab, and blue lettering on the engine cowling.
I like it! A lot! If this happens to be a tribute to the D&H, thanks NS! And if not, it's still sharp - so again, thanks NS!
NS certainly won't choose those colors for their standard paint scheme. The color mix is too much like CSX. and there's no love lost between them.
Paul Fischer
I am in also, NICE! What a neat railroad, Lionel, MTH, Atlas, here is a great engine to make.
john P
I do like it, but I would like it better if the "lightning Stripe" looked more D&H.
Steven Michael posted:Unfortunately this locomotive is heading back for the paint shop… Even if they do repaint it, it probably won't be black, knowing how NS has been for the past year.
I don't know if you saw the Instagram post, but unfortunately this locomotive has been painted back in to the boring NS black and white. This makes me hate CP and Harrison unimaginably!
ES44AC posted:Steven Michael posted:Unfortunately this locomotive is heading back for the paint shop… Even if they do repaint it, it probably won't be black, knowing how NS has been for the past year.
I don't know if you saw the Instagram post, but unfortunately this locomotive has been painted back in to the boring NS black and white. This makes me hate CP and Harrison unimaginably!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For everyone that thinks this is a tribute unit. Please realize this unit was painted this way due to a railfan on another forum submitting a proposal for a special paint scheme for the new rebuild class unit. I have a feeling it will be a different color since it is a conversion unit but this is also the unit that someone took photos of before it was unveiled so if it goes to black and white then it makes sense. Also it takes more than one day to paint a locomotive.
Google "norfolk southern 4000" it gives you the whole story and Dash 9 to AC rebuild data/ info.
Maxrailroad posted:ES44AC posted:Steven Michael posted:Unfortunately this locomotive is heading back for the paint shop… Even if they do repaint it, it probably won't be black, knowing how NS has been for the past year.
I don't know if you saw the Instagram post, but unfortunately this locomotive has been painted back in to the boring NS black and white. This makes me hate CP and Harrison unimaginably!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If this is the same picture I saw, it's photoshopped. Not even the same type of locomotive. Check the cab door placement and side windows. Also the box rear of the cab on the conductor's side.
Trevor
Trevor the one I have seen on Instagram is not the same locomotive so this is someone's idea of a joke.
Wow!!!!!!!That is one very sharp looking locomotive.It would be real cool if ns decided to paint a few more units like this.Very sharp looking paint.All I know who ever came up with this but they deserve a lot of credit.I hope some company will make a o gauge model of this.Hint hint mth ,lionel and bachmann.
I can assure you the photo I originally posted was not photoshopped. The paint scheme may be short lived but it was painted this way by NS in the Chattanooga paint shop. As I mentioned, the unit is recieving a revised scheme after complaints from another competitor railroad.
Southern6482 posted:I can assure you the photo I originally posted was not photoshopped. The paint scheme may be short lived but it was painted this way by NS in the Chattanooga paint shop. As I mentioned, the unit is recieving a revised scheme after complaints from another competitor railroad.
Southern the one we are talking about is the one of the 4000 painted in standard black and white paint scheme. I know your photo is real. It's the one of it painted black and white that I'm talking about.
ES44AC posted:Steven Michael posted:Unfortunately this locomotive is heading back for the paint shop… Even if they do repaint it, it probably won't be black, knowing how NS has been for the past year.
I don't know if you saw the Instagram post, but unfortunately this locomotive has been painted back in to the boring NS black and white. This makes me hate CP and Harrison unimaginably!
whats cp and harr. got to do with this?-jim
NS stated on their official Facebook page regarding the 4000 "We are tweaking the paint scheme but it has nothing to do with any comparisons to any other railroads."
My bad, sorry. I should have taken a closer look.
If it was painted like a real D&H unit, and was considered the 21st heritage, it might have flown. NS did buy some ex-D&H routes from CP. (Who wound et them back with a merger. What is going on?)
Has the painted scheme been tweaked yet?
Regards,
Swafford
Here is the link to the new paint.
Looks like all they did was replace the gold stripes and the logo with black and white ones. I personally like this version better. If Lionel were to make this, they could use the tooling from the new ES44's. They might need to tweak the exhaust stack.
Maxrailroad posted:Looks like all they did was replace the gold stripes and the logo with black and white ones. I personally like this version better. If Lionel were to make this, they could use the tooling from the new ES44's. They might need to tweak the exhaust stack.
These are actually rebuilt from Dash 9's, so dash 9 tooling would work. The electrical cabinet, cab, and front end are GEVO parts. If you look, there's 5 steps on the front and 4 on the back. Would be an easy kitbash, just take a dash 9 and chop the front of an ES44 off and stick them together. *Maybe* MTH would do this
I could see Lionel using the ES44 tooling and MTH using the dash 9 tooling just to make it even though it'd be wrong. Someday I'd love to kitbash one though
Trevor
Nice revision of the paint scheme!
My guess is MTH will make this one.
Jack
Is the safety striping iridescent? Sure looks that way. If the importers can make this engine with that feature, that'd surely set it apart from all others.
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