Lionel Legacy ES44C4 locomotive with correct truck details

I’m all for more BNSF models. I believe Lionel has released ET44C4s, but only as LionChief models. As for why they haven’t released ES44C4s, my guess would be low demand.

However, they have released SD60Es for Norfolk Southern and SD70AHs for Union Pacific, so never say never.

@Dylan the Train Man posted:

However, the GE ES44C4 is a heavy haul modern AC-Traction locomotive. Why do these modern beasts have only 4 traction motors? Put simply, GE's ES44C4s have traction control software that controls air pressure in extra air cylinders on each truck that allows the engines to maintain adhesion by varying the weight on each axle. The reason GE developed the ES44C4 was to replace locomotives with DC traction motors. AC traction motors are more reliable, require lower maintenance, and produce more tractive effort.

I'm confused.  If GE developed the ES44C4 to replace locomotives with DC traction motors, why not just sell them the ES44AC that has AC traction motors?  It appears to me that the ES44C4 was simply a cost reduced ES44AC with lower performance.

To answer your question, John, the ES44C4 has better weight distribution, better adhesion, higher tractive effort, and axle loading than an ES44DC. That's why the ES44C4s were developed. Plus, with only 4 traction motors per truck, the ES44C4s require a bit less maintenance than a 6-motored ES44AC. As for performance, it appears that BNSF and FEC have found the ES44C4s to their liking, especially BNSF, since they roster a lot of these locomotives.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm confused.  If GE developed the ES44C4 to replace locomotives with DC traction motors, why not just sell them the ES44AC that has AC traction motors?  It appears to me that the ES44C4 was simply a cost reduced ES44AC with lower performance.

Apparently, BNSF decided not all trains required locomotives with 6 traction motors. Since Wabtec (or GE in the recent decades) stopped offering new (not repowered) 4-axle, freight locomotives for the North American railroads, a 6-axle, freight locomotive with 2 less traction motors was a cost-effective offering for some railroads, while having most of the same components between AC locomotives with 4 or 6 traction motors, to ease production, logistics and maintenance.

Besides the unit, coal trains on BNSF, that I see locally, that still use BNSF or leased, AC Evolution locomotives with traction motors on all 6 axles, I usually see ES44C4 and ET44C4 locomotives on mixed-freight and unit, intermodal trains, around here.

BNSF is a large employer in a nearby town. Every June, that town has a celebration and BNSF has a locomotive and sometimes, other railroad equipment on display. Before COVID, the public could climb on the locomotive that was either ES44C4 or ET44C4. There was a BNSF or GE employee in the cab to help take pictures and answer questions from the public. The following paragraph was copied from another OGR thread, with discussion that I had with an employee, in 2016.

The maintenance interval for the ET44C4 is still 180 days & 368 days as for the older Evolution models & the maintenance personnel at BNSF love these newer ET44C4. The older GE locomotives with DC traction motors required them to replace the commutator brushes every time the locomotive came into the shop (unless it was brand new). Apparently the brushes, being made of carbon were prone to cracks or breaking if the locomotive went over some rough train tracks & even though the brushes had wear-limit markings, the shop personnel had to replace them more often for cracking rather than for being worn out. For the ES44C4 or the ET44C4, they only have to inspect the wiring leading to traction motors for damage & along with some other service related improvements, they can get these locomotives back in service relatively quicker.

These are just my opinion,

Naveen Rajan

I'm still hoping to see Lionel make the ET44C4 and ET44AC Tier 4 units with scale proportions and Legacy control, as well as the FEC and BNSF ES44C4s. Also, BNSF recently ordered 25 ES44C6Hs and 25 ET44C6Hs. These new engines have 6 traction motors and are ballasted heavier like the CSX ES44AHs and ET44AHs and UP C45ACCTEs (ES44ACs)/C45AHs (ET44ACs).

@naveenrajan posted:

Apparently, BNSF decided not all trains required locomotives with 6 traction motors. Since Wabtec (or GE in the recent decades) stopped offering new (not repowered) 4-axle, freight locomotives for the North American railroads, a 6-axle, freight locomotive with 2 less traction motors was a cost-effective offering for some railroads, while having most of the same components between AC locomotives with 4 or 6 traction motors, to ease production, logistics and maintenance.

Besides the unit, coal trains on BNSF, that I see locally, that still use BNSF or leased, AC Evolution locomotives with traction motors on all 6 axles, I usually see ES44C4 and ET44C4 locomotives on mixed-freight and unit, intermodal trains, around here.

BNSF is a large employer in a nearby town. Every June, that town has a celebration and BNSF has a locomotive and sometimes, other railroad equipment on display. Before COVID, the public could climb on the locomotive that was either ES44C4 or ET44C4. There was a BNSF or GE employee in the cab to help take pictures and answer questions from the public. The following paragraph was copied from another OGR thread, with discussion that I had with an employee, in 2016.

The maintenance interval for the ET44C4 is still 180 days & 368 days as for the older Evolution models & the maintenance personnel at BNSF love these newer ET44C4. The older GE locomotives with DC traction motors required them to replace the commutator brushes every time the locomotive came into the shop (unless it was brand new). Apparently the brushes, being made of carbon were prone to cracks or breaking if the locomotive went over some rough train tracks & even though the brushes had wear-limit markings, the shop personnel had to replace them more often for cracking rather than for being worn out. For the ES44C4 or the ET44C4, they only have to inspect the wiring leading to traction motors for damage & along with some other service related improvements, they can get these locomotives back in service relatively quicker.

These are just my opinion,

Naveen Rajan

Thanks Naveen for posting this. I learned a lot. Apparently the ET44C4s and ES44C4s are quite successful, since BNSF rosters so many of them.