By Railroad Model Craftsman Staff
Now in stock at ScaleTrains and also available from its authorized dealers are ScaleTrains’ first production of HO scale General Electric AC4400CW diesels for HO scale. ScaleTrains also announced plans to produce the popular General Electric AC4400CW locomotive as part of its premium Rivet Counter Series for N scale. This all-new N scale rendition will follow ScaleTrains’ HO Rivet Counter model of the same locomotive to consumers.
GE’s AC4400CW marked the company’s first entry into the new generation of diesel-electric road locomotives utilizing traction motors powered by Alternating Current (AC) instead of DC (direct current) used previously. Made possible by advances in powerful microprocessors that finally enabled precise delivery of electrical current, AC traction provided several major advantages, including lower maintenance and the key ability to take on extremely high amounts of current for extended periods of time to deliver enormous amounts of sustained traction at low speeds. DC traction motors would either have to reduce output or otherwise quickly burn out if left under the same conditions. The adoption of AC-traction was another “great leap forward” in the evolution of heavy-haul diesel-electric locomotives. From 1994 to 2004, over 2,800 AC4400CWs were produced, marking yet another triumph for General Electric over its once formidable competitor, Electro-Motive.
With its long mountain grades and heavy freight trains, the Southern Pacific immediately understood the benefits of AC traction over traditional DC. SP became an early adopter of the AC4400CW – placing a massive order of 279 locomotives delivered in 1994. As replicated here by ScaleTrains in HO scale, SP 146 was the only AC4400CW in its fleet to bear an orange rendition of SP’s traditional “Sunset” logo on its inverter cabinet.
ScaleTrains’ HO scale AC4400CWs boast unit-specific and era-specific details according to each road number offered. Paralleling its HO model, the ScaleTrains N scale Rivet Counter AC4400CW will also offer a long list of factory applied details and functionality. In addition to unit-specific and era specific details that go beyond different cab windows, stepwell and dynamic brake configurations, details on all models also include separately applied windshield wipers, cab mirrors, sunshades, m.u. cables and hoses, air hoses, etched metal radiator exhaust grilles, and air piping with traction motor conduits on the underframe and much more.
Operating features for both HO and N include LED-illuminated directional headlights, ditch lights and number boards, knuckle couplers and draft gear boxes in addition to a precision five-pole motor dual flywheels, all-wheel drive and all-wheel electrical pickup.
Though all AC4400CWs on the CSX roster arrived in the YN2 paint scheme, a few have since been repainted into newer iterations of CSX’s livery. For this first production run for HO scale AC4400CWs, ScaleTrains offers six road numbers in the classic YN2 paint, and also CSX 37 in the current YN3c paint scheme with the CSX.com sublettering underneath the logo.
Liveries for both HO and N scale AC4400CWs include BNSF (Heritage II with gullwing cab), Canadian Pacific (Beaver and Beaver RCMP Musical Ride). CSX (YN2 and YN3.com schemes), Southern Pacific (Speed Lettering), Ferrosur (green) and Union Pacific with either yellow or red sill striping. Multiple road numbers available per scheme where appropriate.
DCC and sound equipped HO scale AC4400CWs come with ESU Loksound 5 decoders and dual cube-type speakers for $299.99 each, whale DC+DCC-ready HO scale models will be $204.99 each with a DCC-ready connector. HO scale Rivet Counter AC4400CWs are available now direct or from authorized dealers.
ScaleTrains’ rendition of CSX 37 features the late version of GE’s Hi-Ad truck, and a radiator “cab” area that includes see-through grilles revealing radiator fan detail.
DCC and sound-equipped N scale AC4400CWs will come with ESU Loksound 5 Nano decoders and a cube-type speaker for $254.99 each, while DC+DCC-ready N scale models will be $149.99 each with a DCC-ready Nano connector. N scale Rivet Counter AC4400CWs are currently expected to arrive in late February 2024.
Watch for a detailed product review of the ScaleTrains HO Scale Rivet Counter GE AC4400CWs in an upcoming issue of Railroad Model Craftsman!
ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Rd NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; www.scaletrains.com
