railking vs premier

With a wave of consolidation behind it, North American railroading is once again a good business to be in. Freight traffic is booming. Locomotive orders are coming in at a record pace from the Big Six roads that dominate rail transportation on the continent: Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. And the two remaining diesel builders are locked in a battle to become the locomotive supplier for the 21st century. Caterpillarr-owned EMD, no longer a divison of General Motors, is represented by the AC-traction-motored SD70ACe and its DC-traction sibling, the SD70M-2. General Electric's standard bearers are the EVOs, the Evolution Series ES44AC and ES44DC.

At the heart of the Evolution Series is a brand new prime mover, the four-cycle, 12-cylinder GEVO-12. While producing the same 4400 horsepower as its 16-cylinder FDL-series predecessor, the GEVO-12 uses less fuel and spits out 40% fewer emissions. GE claims the EVOs are "the most fuel-efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives in history." Everything about these locomotives has been examined, questioned, and re-thought, generating 25 new U.S. patents in the process. And every Big Six railroad has ponied up to buy them, with the BNSF currently rostering the largest EVO fleet.

Like all Premier locomotives, the ES44AC offers O scale's finest combination of detail, realism, and performance. Listen to the chant of an authentic GEVO-12 motor, and throttle down as low as three scale miles per hour so you can admire the details as the Evolution Series glides by: see-through fans and grilles, walkways with safety tread, opening doors with working door handles, and a host of other separately applied metal details.

Did You Know?Fully loaded, an Evolution Series diesel carries 5000 gallons of diesel fuel, 450 gallons of lube oil, and 400 gallons of cooling water.

With a wave of consolidation behind it, North American railroading is once again a good business to be in. Freight traffic is booming. Locomotive orders are coming in at a record pace from the Big Six roads that dominate rail transportation on the continent: Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. And the two remaining diesel builders are locked in a battle to become the locomotive supplier for the 21st century. Caterpillar®-owned EMD, no longer a divison of General Motors, is represented by the AC-traction-motored SD70ACe and its DC-traction sibling, the SD70M-2. General Electric’s standard bearers are the EVOs, the Evolution Series ES44AC and ES44DC.

At the heart of the Evolution Series is a brand new prime mover, the four-cycle, 12-cylinder GEVO-12. While producing the same 4400 horsepower as its 16-cylinder FDL-series predecessor, the GEVO-12 uses less fuel and spits out 40% fewer emissions. GE claims the EVOs are “the most fuel-efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives in history.” Everything about these locomotives has been examined, questioned, and re-thought, generating 25 new U.S. patents in the process. And every Big Six railroad has ponied up to buy them, with the BNSF currently rostering the largest EVO fleet.

Like our debut RailKing Imperial diesel, the SD70ACe, the ES44AC comes accurately decorated in modern motive power paint schemes. Our near-scale model is a full 17" in length, yet operates comfortably on O-31 curves. Under the hood of the Proto-Sound 3.0 version is the same sound and control system found in our more expensive Premier model of this locomotive this locomotive, with sounds recorded from the actual prototype. Additional Imperial features include operating diesel exhaust smoke and flashing ditch lights. If you're looking for realism and a lot of fun at a RailKing price, it doesn't get any better than this!

Did You Know? Fully loaded, an Evolution Series diesel carries 5000 gallons of diesel fuel, 450 gallons of lube oil, and 400 gallons of cooling water.

In the late 1980s, as General Electric and General Motors' Electro-Motive Division engaged in heated competition (that continues today) for market share in the high horsepower category, GE announced its Dash 8 line of diesel locomotives. Although the first demonstrator version had only 3,200 hp, most of the Dash 8s had 4,000 hp when delivered and were therefore designated Dash 8-40. Because GE builds its diesel locomotives in five modules, it was able to customize its Dash 8s for each buyer to an unusual degree.

Some railroads ordered their Dash 8s with conventional cabs, while others opted for the wider North American or comfort cabs, identified by a "W" in the engine name. Some Dash 8s have 4-wheel trucks - denoted with a "B" - while a Dash 8-40C has 6-wheel trucks. This variety meant that these diesels, which were designed for fast freight duty, also found a home in Amtrak passenger service. Despite their many differences, all Dash 8s share microprocessor control. The microprocessor, a small computer, regulates rpm, fuel injection volume, generator excitation, and many other operational features to make the Dash 8s run more efficiently than any diesels before them.

These superbly detailed RailKing Scale models replicate the comfort cab Dash 8s that found their niche in high-speed intermodal service. Like their prototypes built between 1989 and 1994, these models are a perfect choice to power the hottest trains on your railroad.

With a wave of consolidation behind it, North American railroading is once again a good business to be in. Freight traffic is booming. Locomotive orders are coming in at a record pace from the Big Six roads that dominate rail transportation on the continent: Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. And the two remaining diesel builders are locked in a battle to become the locomotive supplier for the 21st century. EMD, newly independent and no longer a division of General Motors, is represented by the AC-traction-motored SD70ACe and its DC-traction sibling, the SD70M-2. General Electric’s standard bearers are the EVOs, the Evolution Series ES44AC and ES44DC.

At the heart of the Evolution Series is a brand new prime mover, the four-cycle, 12-cylinder GEVO-12. While producing the same 4400 horsepower as its 16-cylinder FDL-series predecessor, the GEVO-12 uses less fuel and spits out 40% fewer emissions. GE claims the EVOs are “the most fuel-efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives in history.” Everything about these locomotives has been examined, questioned, and re-thought, generating 25 new U.S. patents in the process. And every Big Six railroad has ponied up to buy them, with the BNSF currently rostering the largest EVO fleet.

Like all Premier locomotives, the new ES44AC offers O scale’s finest combination of detail, realism, and performance. Listen to the chant of an authentic GEVO-12 motor, and throttle down as low as three scale miles per hour so you can admire the details as the Evolution Series glides by: see-through fans and grilles, walkways with safety tread, opening doors with working door handles, and a host of other separately applied metal details.

Did You Know? Fully loaded, an Evolution Series diesel carries 5000 gallons of diesel fuel, 450 gallons of lube oil, and 400 gallons of cooling water.