Rivet Counter HO Scale GE ES44AC, ScaleTrains/Custom Design #2022

In late 2021, we refreshed our logo and color palette. To celebrate our new look, we decided to include our fans and launch a paint scheme design contest utilizing our Rivet Counter ES44 locomotive. After opening the vote, hundreds of modelers cast their ballots for their favorite design from 3 finalists. With the results in, we’d like to congratulate Jesse Gahring on designing the next ScaleTrains-branded ES44 locomotive.

Announced: Jan 29, 2022

Arrived: Jul 14, 2023

DCC & Sound Equipped Retail: $368.99 DC/DCC Ready Retail: $249.99

See below for your price

In stock

SKU

RCHOES44ST2022

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Grouped product items
Item Number	Road Number	Control & Sound Options	Our Price	Availability	Quantity
SXT33014	2022	DCC & Sound Equipped	$294.99	In Stock
SXT33015	2022	DC/DCC Ready	$199.99	Limited Fewer than 24 in stock

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ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

PRODUCT DETAILS

Era: 2022+
Model specs based on NS series 8091 to 8140, built 1-3/12
Road number 2022
Paint scheme designed by contest winner Jesse Gahring
Designated ES44AC
Fully-assembled
Operating LED ground lights on both sides of locomotive*
Operating LED front, rear and rectangle side walkway lights*
Operating LED front and rear deck-mounted alternating ditch lights**
Printed and LED lighted number boards*
LSL (Locomotive Speed Limiter) indicator lights on cab sides (non-operating)
Sill-mounted brake stick holder
Semi-scale coupler buffers equipped with die-cast metal semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers
Single trainline hose with silver gladhand
Pilot-mounted battery charging receptacles
Front dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles mounted to pilot face
Front and rear raised pilot-mounted Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
Front and rear single ECP brake equipment box and cable mounted on pilot face
See-through round-hole stepwell steps
Walkway with front anticlimber; no support brackets
GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
Late handrails with U-bolt caps and narrow rear most stanchion on long side rails
Wide profile end handrails
Sand box clean out door with knuckle buster latch and hinge
Front high (cab) mounted headlight
Front straight grab irons mounted directly to the nose
Front right side mounted narrow nose drop grab iron
Right nose door without 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 with 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 JEM Communications PTC antenna farm with single large Sinclair antenna
Small bolted and hinged inverter cabinet door
See-through dynamic brake exhaust
Left side dynamic brake cab: tri 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 grille, door with grille, and door with grille
Dynamic brake cab door with high door handle and high mounted door handle bumper
Short right side air intake grille
Left side auxiliary cab: 3 tall doors with latches on the #2 door and long 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
Three 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, tall, short, tall, short, tall, short front angled grill, two-piece rear angled grille
Flat water fill box with sight glass
High mounted horizontal rear headlight
Rear anticlimber without support brackets
Rear wide-spaced dual dummy Multiple Unit (MU) receptacles
Accurately profiled frame with separately applied plumbing and cabling
GE Hi-Ad trucks with capped electric parking brake mounting brackets on right front and left rear side frames and separately applied brake cylinders, air plumbing, and rotating bearing caps
Triangular handbrake chain bracket
Toilet drain with interior handle
AEI tag mounted on bracket below the right sidesill
Dual Graham-White (Prime) finned 075 air filters
Graham-White 994-500 air dryer
5,300-gallon fuel tank with internal waste retention tank, digital fuel gauge, vertical fuel gauge, and round fuel gauge
Dual fuel fills per side with rear fill “blanked”
Angled 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 equipped locomotives also feature:

ESU-LokSound 5 DCC and Sound decoder with “Full Throttle”
Two (2) cube-type speakers
Accurate GEVO-12 prime mover and auxiliary sounds, horn, bell, and more
ESU-designed PowerPack with two (2) super capacitors***
Operates on both DC and DCC layouts

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

PRODUCT VIDEOS

PROTOTYPE HISTORY

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.

Jesse Gahring’s ScaleTrains-branded paint scheme design takes inspiration from both the Chicago & North Western Railroad and the New York Central System. With vintage lines that take us back to the golden age of railroading, this ES44 looks classic while also remaining contemporary by displaying our new ScaleTrains logo prominently on each end of the locomotive. It also features the “Spirit of Benton” on the side of the nose which is a nod to our headquarters in the mountains of southeast Tennessee.

Our Rivet Counter series model is based on Norfolk Southern’s 8000 series ES44AC and features a high-mounted headlight, PTC array, front and rear anti-climbers, a sill-mounted brake stick holder, and more. We’ve also incorporated LED lighting effects including front, rear, and side walkway lights; ground lights; printed and lighted number boards; and flashing front and rear ditch lights.

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