ScaleTrains 38518 Rivet Counter N Scale GE Dash 9-44CW Santa Fe ATSF 644

General Electric wrestled the title of top domestic locomotive builder from EMD during the late 1980s with their Dash-8 series. 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 conductor’s 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 BC Rail, BNSF, Canadian National, C&NW, Norfolk Southern, QNS&L, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific.

Norfolk Southern 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.

The Dash-9 series remained in production until the early 2000s when it was superseded by GE’s “Evolution Series” ES40/44-series models.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, have been 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.

The GE DASH 9 Series (built from 1991 to 2004) replaced the earlier DASH 8 series and featured numerous electronic improvements that enhanced overall performance and reliability. With these enhancements, the DASH 9 series was well-liked by the railroads and as a result, quickly became one of the most common locomotive types in the United States. Most are still in service today.

The Rivet Counter series DASH-9 continues to set new standards for railroad, road number and era-specific features, factory-applied detail parts, lighting effects, and sound in N Scale. All Rivet Counter series N Scale locomotives are available DC/DCC ready with Next18 connector or factory equipped with ESU-LokSound 5 Micro DCC and sound decoder with cube-type speaker.

FEATURES:

• New road numbers
• Era: early 1994 – late 1990’s
• ATSF series 612-649, built 2-3-/94
• Road numbers 628, 629, 640 and 644
• Fully-assembled
• Multiple road numbers
• Operating LED-illuminated front pilot face mounted ditch lights*
• Printed and LED-illuminated number boards*
• Factory-applied detail parts: wire grab irons, trainline hoses with silver gladhands, 3-hose MU clusters with silver gladhands, MU cable, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, brake wheel, and more
• Short snowplow with open doors and grab irons
• Semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers – Micro-Trains® compatible
• Body mounted coupler box – accepts Micro-Trains® 1015/1016 type couplers without modification
• 4-step stepwells
• Walkway with front anticlimber
• GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
• Wide profile end handrails
• Nose door with window
• Front LED-illuminated headlight with lenses on low short hood
• GE safety cab with “gull-wing” roof profile and three (3) side windows
• Detailed cab interior with floor, rear wall, seats, and desktop
• Tinted cab side windows
• Large Sinclair “ice skate” communication antenna and small Sinclair “ice skate” End of Train (EOT) telemetry antenna
• Motive Equipment Inc. (MEI) ME7000 HVAC Unit
• Early (curved) engine cab profile
• Early flanged exhaust stack housing
• “Bathtub” exhaust silencer
• Early radiator door grille pattern (all the same height)
• High-mounted rear sandfiller
• Early lifting lugs on ends of radiator wings
• Rear LED-illuminated vertical headlight with lenses
• Accurately profiled frame with separately applied plumbing and cabling
• GE Hi-Ad trucks with separately applied brake cylinders and air plumbing
• Separate air tanks with upper mounting brackets
• Fuel tank mounted steel bell
• 5,000 gallon fuel tank
• Dual fuel fills per side with rear fill “blanked”
• Motor with 5-pole skew wound armature
• Dual flywheels
• All-wheel drive
• All-wheel electrical pick-up
• Printing and lettering legible under magnification
• Operates on Code 55 and 80 rail
• Packaging safely stores model
• Minimum Radius: 9 ¾”
• Recommended Radius: 11”
• DC/DCC ready locomotives also feature:
• Operates on DC layouts
• DCC ready with Next18 connector

* Lighting features operate when using an ESU decoder with appropriate programming while operating using DCC
** Class lights illuminate in white color only in DC operation. Access and changing colors requires an ESU decoder with appropriate programming while operating using DCC

NOTE: Road number may vary from picture shown.