ScaleTrains Rivet Counter HO SXT42469 DCC Ready Wabtec AC44C6M Locomotive Norfolk Southern/Horsehead NS #4542

ScaleTrains Rivet Counter HO SXT42469 DCC Ready Wabtec AC44C6M Locomotive Norfolk Southern/Horsehead NS #4542

Road Number Specific ScaleTrains

• All-new model
• Era: 2022 to present
• Series 4275 to 4574; ex-Dash 9-44CW 9310 to 9394, built 1998 to 1999; 9395 to 9534, built 2000
• Road number 4542; ex-NS 9330
  • Rebuilt 02-2022
  • Tall and narrow plow with no doors, notched around train line hose opening, welded on reinforcement plates at the bottom, stepped top, and two (2) grab irons
  • Rear pilot with a thin welded-on reinforcement plate
  • Cab HVAC vent panels with 13 louvers and circular latches
  • Lost-wax brass cast Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with shower caps mounted on engine cab
  • No lift rings on engine cab power assembly door
• Road number 4641; ex-NS 9492
  • Rebuilt 03-2023
  • Tall and narrow plow with no doors, filleted coupler opening, welded on reinforcement plates at bottom, and two (2) grab irons
  • Rear pilot with no reinforcement plate
  • Cab HVAC vent panels with 13 louvers and circular latches
  • Lost-wax brass cast Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn mounted on engine cab
  • No lift rings on engine cab power assembly door
• Road number 4702; ex-NS 9421
  • Rebuilt 09-2023
  • Tall and narrow plow with no doors, filleted coupler opening, welded on reinforcement plates at bottom, folded top, and two (2) grab irons
  • Rear pilot with no reinforcement plate
  • Cab HVAC vent panels with 17 louvers and circular latches
  • Lost-wax brass cast Nathan AirChime K5LAR24 horn with shower caps mounted on engine cab
  • Low-mounted lift rings on engine cab power assembly doors
• Fully-assembled
• Operating LED-illuminated ground lights on both sides of locomotive*
• Operating LED-illuminated front and rear deck-mounted alternating ditch lights**
• Operating LED-illuminated front, rear, and side walkway lights*
• Printed cab-mounted number boards with separately controlled LED-illumination*
• Directional LED-illuminated headlights
• LSL (Locomotive Speed Limiter) indicator lights on cab sides (non-operating) 
• Semi-scale GE type coupler buffer equipped with durable metal semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers, painted a dingy gray/brown color to represent the color of couplers in service
• Inside loop uncoupling levers with down brackets
• 5-step stepwells with see-through steps
• Walkway with front and rear anticlimbers
• GE “nub” pattern walkway tread
• Wide profile end handrails
• Front high (cab) mounted headlight 
• Nose door with window; security padlock with hasp
• Two-piece nose top grab irons
• Battery cabinet access door with latch
• GE safety cab with four (4) side windows
• Right side cab under floor access doors: dual large louver panels per door
• Left side cab under floor access doors: bolted panel forward of the HVAC unit
• Cab interior with detailed back wall and front dash, high-back seats, conductor’s workstation, and engineer’s AAR-style control stand
• In-cab grade crossing camera
• Tinted cab side windows
• Tall mirror mounted in front of sliding cab side windows on both sides; additional small mirror on right side
• JEM Communications PTC antenna farm with Sinclair antennas
• Inverter Cabinet with Bolted and hinged access door, top two X panels same size, three lower X panels with 4 - 6 - 4 Bolt Pattern
• Continuous reinforcement rib under dynamic brake intake grilles
• High-capacity dynamic brake exhaust (3-port)
• Rearward right-side air intake grille
• Left side auxiliary cab: 3 short doors with latches on the #2 door and wide auxiliary cab filter box door
• Right side auxiliary cab: four (4) doors with latches on #1 and #4 doors
• Late wide width inertial cabinet with no spacer between the engine cab. Short rectangular vent and wide X-panel on the right side and rectangular vent on the left side. Partial length horizontal access panel on the left side with a small adjacent X-panel 
• Late angled engine cab profile with raised “dot” treadplate on centerline 
• Three door latches per side on the exhaust cab doors
• Late non-flanged exhaust stack housing
• “Bathtub” exhaust silencer
• 22 individually-applied etched metal see-through radiator intake and exhaust grilles on sides and top of radiator compartment
• Right side late radiator door grilles in alternating heights
• No right side radiator wing access door
• Electronic Handbrake with panel to the rear of the brake wheel
• Flat stamped brakewheel
• Left rear hood door grille arrangement: tall, short, tall grilles
• Low-mounted rear sand fill
• Early “box” lifting lugs on ends of radiator wings
• No forward radiator lifting lugs
• Left side long rail all stanchions, early type
• Right side long rail, all stanchions are early type
• Accurately profiled frame with separately-applied plumbing and traction motor cabling
• GE Hi-Ad trucks with reinforcement plate over center axle on right front and left rear side frames and separately applied brake cylinders, single bracket air plumbing, and rotating bearing caps 
• Wheel faces painted a dingy gray/brown color to represent the color of wheelsets in service
• No speed recorder
• Dual Graham-White (Salem) 824-100 centrifugal air filters
• Graham-White 994-500 series air dryer
• 5,000-gallon fuel tank with vertical weld seams on the right side with a single angled seam on the left with late late-style air reservoir drain notch
• Fuel tank mounted steel bell
• Separate air tanks with upper mounting brackets
• Curved handbrake chain bracket
• Spare coupler knuckle holders on rear pilot face
• Factory-applied detail parts: wire grab irons, spare knuckles, trainline hoses with silver gladhands, 3-hose MU clusters with silver gladhands, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, mirrors, sunshades, and more
• 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 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” Functions
• Two (2) cube-type speakers
• Accurate FDL-16 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 on DC layouts*****
• 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

*****Lombard Hobbies Recommendation - As modelers ourselves we highly recommend ONLY running DCC on DCC systems and DC on DC systems, regardless of 'Dual-Mode' capability. This gives optimum performance and safeguards the unit from possible damage from running on a different system than originally intended and from any inexperienced operator errors.

Prototype History:

In the early 2000s, Norfolk Southern was at a crossroads, equipped with one of the largest GE DASH 9 series locomotive fleets. With escalating traffic levels demanding more horsepower for efficient train movement, a critical decision loomed. The aging DASH 9s forming the backbone of their fleet were due for overhauls, prompting the need for a strategy to keep the traffic flowing seamlessly.

To modernize its fleet, Norfolk Southern boldly initiated a rebuilding program for its GE DASH 9s. This comprehensive process involved upgrading the electrical systems and traction motors of the aging DC (Direct Current) drives DASH 9s to AC (Alternating Current) traction, effectively transforming them into AC4400s. While AC technology had already proven effective on other railroads, Norfolk Southern had remained conservative in the 90s, opting for fleets of DC-drive EMD SD70s, GE C40-9s, and C40-9Ws.

As the 90s transitioned into the 2000s, Norfolk Southern couldn't overlook the compelling advantages of AC, which offered significant improvements in unit tractive effort and overall train handling compared to DC units. The rebuild process also included essential enhancements such as new trucks, repairs to the carbody, and additional ballast for increased tractive effort.

Externally, the most noticeable change was the addition of an AC inverter control cabinet to the left side walkway behind the operator’s cab. In the case of units rebuilt from standard-cab C40-9 core units, the original operator’s cab, low nose, and under-cab cabinets were replaced with a new GE Safety Cab, similar to those used on current GEVO production. While some fans lamented the loss of the distinctive C40-9 "Top Hats," crews embraced the new cabs for superior comfort and crashworthiness.

These revitalized units, designated as AC44C6M by Norfolk Southern, debuted in August 2015 with NS 4000 and 4001, rebuilt by contractor American Motive Power, Inc., utilizing components from GE. Sporting a unique gray scheme with a blue cab and "mane," these units stood out against the typical black Thoroughbreds in the NS fleet. Rebuilt from NS C40-9s 8799 and 8879, some of the oldest GEs in the fleet gained a new lease on life.

The success of these initial rebuilds prompted Norfolk Southern to fully embrace the AC44C6M, with 16 additional units rebuilt from C40-9 cores in 2016. Work was conducted in-house at Roanoke and Juniata shops and by GE in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Ft. Worth, Texas. The momentum continued, with additional units slated for rebuilding each year.

As of March 2025, Wabtec plans to rebuild the entire NS GE DASH 9 fleet, ushering in the latest technology and solidifying its position as the "Thoroughbred" of transportation.

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