HO Scale Athearn Genesis AC4400CW Locomotive Review
HO G2 AC4400CW W/DCC & Sound, CEFX #1048 Athearn - Item No.ATHG31646
HO G2 AC4400CW W/DCC & Sound, CEFX #1002 Athearn - Item No.ATHG31644
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CEFX #1002 CEFX #1048
CEFX FEATURES:
Nathan K-3 Horn
Late body features
Late radiator lift rings
Evenly spaced rear grab irons
Engine air intake moved rearward
Notched fuel tank
Tank welded to underframe
Long handrail on left jogs over capacitor box
Double rail behind cab on left side
AAR style control stand
Electric air dryer
GE Hi-Adhesion trucks
Outside struts on opposite sides of trucks
Front ditch lights
The CIT Group placed two orders late in the production of the AC4400CW. They represent some of the newest features added to the AC4400CW line before its discontinuation. The first group was purposely built with Union Pacific features to whom they were originally leased. The second group was leased to the Canadian Pacific and share spotting features with late model CP AC4400CWs. Both wear CIT Group’s distinctive “Blueberry” scheme with CEFX reporting marks.
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
#1002
GPS Dome
High number boards
#1020
GPS Dome
High number boards
#1048
Sinclair Antenna package
Low number boards
AC4400CW SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
Accurately -painted and -printed paint schemes
LED lighting adjusted to lifelike settings.
Illuminated number boards
Illuminated ground lights above front trucks
Illuminated front and rear walkway lights
Illuminated marker lights (where applicable)
Etched, see-through walkway steps
Animated roller bearing caps
Coupler cut levers
Flexible rubber MU hoses for durability
Flexible rubber trainline hose
See-through cab windows
Full cab interior
Walkway tread
Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
Windshield wipers
Lift rings
Wire grab irons
Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
Sander lines
Brass horns correct to the prototype
McHenry® scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible
Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
Packaging securely holds model for safe storage
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE
Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment
Faded base colors matched to the prototype
Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE
Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality
Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
Precision slow speed control
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Introduced by GE in 1993 and built until 2004, when it was replaced by the Evolution Series Tier II compliant model, the AC4400CW is a staple of modern railroading. 2,834 examples were built with many still plying the rails in their as delivered configurations or as rebuilt variations. Many Class 1, regional, and foreign railroads purchased the AC4400CWs. Ownership spanned the North American Continent and with their long lives, have seen numerous paint scheme variations and ownership changes through the years. The AC4400CW went through a large number of changes during its production. Some are easily noticeable; early units being delivered with GE’s Hi-Adhesion Trucks, while later units that had the option for newly developed GE Steerable Truck. Other details are smaller and takes a careful eye to see; the addition of a door stop, how the step wells are reinforced, or the number and positioning of panels and doors.
Athearn has captured all these details thorough research and precision tooling to reproduce dozens of variations. The newly tooled Genesis AC4400CW takes its reign as the new flagship model for Athearn.