Locomotive Spotlight #5-2025

Greetings All,

Locomotive Spotlight #5-2025

GE AC44C6M #4082

Welcome to another post in the ongoing locomotive spotlight series. Today the spotlight will shine on a modern era GE AC44C6M. A pre ordered Scale Trains Rivet Counter model of Norfolk Southern GE AC446M #4082 with DCC and Sound arrived on the layout in June 2025. Lets take a look at the prototype and model.

Prototype Information From Wikipedia

The GE AC44C6M is an AC-traction 4,400-horsepower diesel locomotive, rebuilt from GE Transportation Dash 9 locomotives. AC44C6M rebuilds have been done by GE (now Wabtec), American Motive Power, Inc., and Norfolk Southern Railway's Juniata and Roanoke Shops, starting in September 2015.

"NS AC44C6M 4261 WB at Norristown Transportation Center" by Dough4872 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The AC44C6M retains the 16-cylinder 7FDL-16 prime mover used in the core locomotive prior to rebuilding, but replaces the Dash 9's DC traction motors with alternating current GE 5GEB13B7 traction motors. Externally, the Norfolk Southern Dash 9-40Cs received new wide-nosed cabs, and all rebuilt locomotives have a new hood front section with a new inverter cabinet behind the cab, while retaining the underframe and engine and radiator compartments of the original Dash 9 units.

"3/6 NS 4002 Leads Rerouted NS 181 KCMO 10-5-19" by KansasScanner is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

 

Rebuilding an old Dash 9 locomotive into an AC44C6M costs only 50-60% that of purchasing a brand new AC locomotive. Wabtec claims a 17% improvement in fuel efficiency, 30% improvement in reliability, and a 55% improvement in haulage capability.

"Consolation Prize" by Leo Blackwelder is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

BNSF was the first railroad to order locomotive rebuilds with an order for 21 AC44C4Ms that were delivered in September 2015.

"BNSF 5809 Leads NB Empty Coal Drag Lenexa, KS 3-2-19" by KansasScanner is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

These were followed shortly by the Norfolk Southern AC44C6M's, which were first delivered at the end of 2015, and rebuilt from their Dash 9-40C locomotives. Norfolk Southern is the largest operator of the AC44C6M, with over 600 locomotives rebuilt as of 2022, and a further 330 by 2025. 

"NS 4079-GE AC44C6M (32113794157)" by Jim Hamilton is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

All of their Dash 9-40C units, and significant numbers of their Dash 9-40CW units have been rebuilt into AC44C6Ms. The railway plans to rebuild all of its remaining Dash 9–40CW units into AC44C6Ms. Norfolk Southern AC44C6M locomotives feature a new under-floor air conditioner, cab signals, LSL (Locomotive Speed Limiter), DPU systems, PTC, and ECP braking ability (on some units).

"NS AC44C6M 4266 EB Valley Forge PA" by Dough4872 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Prototype Information From Scale Trains

In the early 2000s, Norfolk Southern, equipped with one of the largest fleets of GE DASH 9 series locomotives, found itself at a crossroads. 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.

"NS 4123 (AC44C6M)" by KansasScanner is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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 remained conservative in the 90s, opting for fleets of DC-drive EMD SD70s, GE C40-9s, and C40-9Ws.

"31M with AC44C6M leading the way" by Shakes1420 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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 car body, and additional ballast for increased tractive effort.

"NS 4275 DC to AC AC44C6M" by Shakes1420 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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 their superior comfort and crashworthiness.

"Hot Rockin'" by Leo Blackwelder is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

These revitalized units, designated as AC44C6M by Norfolk Southern, made their debut in August 2015 with NS 4000 (see below photo) 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.

"NS 4000 eastbound at Lewistown October 2021" by DReifGalaxyM31 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 both in-house at Roanoke and Juniata shops and by GE at their facilities in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Ft. Worth, Texas. The momentum continued, with additional units slated for rebuilding each year. At present, the plan is for Wabtec to rebuild the entire NS GE DASH 9 fleet, ushering in the latest technology and solidifying its position as the "Thoroughbred" of transportation.

Model Information

I preordered the Scale Trains Rivet Counter Norfolk Southern AC44C6M with DCC & Sound last year choosing road number 4082 with the DC to AC Sinewave on the cab sides. This is my fifth modern era Scale Trains Rivet Counter locomotive and the first with DCC and Sound.

I've been very impressed with the Scale Trains Rivet Counter locomotives over the years and the NS 4082 is no exception. This is an extremely smooth running locomotive that features numerous locomotive specific details. Check the Scale Trains Link below for more information.

The locomotives are well weighted with dual flywheel motors and six axle electric pickup and drive for optimum pulling capacity.

The 4082 makes its maiden voyage with a double stack train rolling thru Empire City Station. This is one of my favorite railroad hotspots for COFC and TOFC trains coming thru the tight clearance of the station.

Check out the 4082 in action.

Final Thoughts and Comments

The Norfolk Southern ES44A6CM #4082 is the fourth DCC / Sound equipped locomotive in my fleet and by far the most modern. The 4082 joins a the DC NS Central of Georgia heritage unit # 8101.

"NS Central of Georgia heritage locomotive in Lynchburg" by Retronaut is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

and this trio of DC CSX Pride in Service locomotives.

While the ES44A6CM and the others are much more modern than what I mostly run and operate on the layout I do enjoy railfanning them with the modern rolling stock I have accumulated over the years. 

Additional Links

Scale Train GE ES44A6CM.
The CSX fleet blogpost.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See You Soon!!!

Cargill Salt Covered Hoppers and the Quaker Plant

 Greetings All,

Cargill Salt Covered Hoppers

and the Quaker Oats Plant

When researching the Quaker Oats Plant in Empire City that came online in January 2025 I took a good look at the ingredients required to make their products along with the freight cars needed to transport them and learned that Salt is a key ingredient to their products. See link below for the ingredient information. 

Having a nice fleet of Cargill covered hoppers already in service I set up an ongoing ebay search for a Cargill Salt Covered Hopper or two to handle the salt traffic. The search recently bore fruit with the purchase of two different types of cars from different manufacturers and sellers. Lets take a look at the prototype info and models.

Cargill Salt Prototype Information

Cargill offers a large number of food grade and other salts for industrial use. The salts that are available are food grade salt, water softener salt, pool salt, general industrial salts, Champion Choice agricultural salt, deicing solutions as well as customer based salt solutions. That's a lot of salt!!! The salt portfolio link is below.

Cargill operates a large number of salt production facilities in the U.S. including for my purposes the Watkins Glen, NY, Baltimore, MD and Pittsburgh, PA facilities. There is a link to the map below.

To move its products Cargill Plants require a lot of freight cars like covered hoppers and boxcars in the below photo.

"Another Cargill Sunrise" by Scallop Holden is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

A faded Cargill herald.

"Cargill" by Rob Swatski is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

A Cargill SW900 with reporting marks CRGX.

"CRGX 402 (SW900)" by KansasScanner is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Quaker Plant

As seen above Cargill uses lots of freight cars to move its products. Quaker also uses many freight cars at their plants to receive the materials necessary to manufacture their products and ship them to their customers.

"Quaker Oats Rail Yard" by fgv5g8 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.
 

Prototype Information for Pullman Standard 

PS-CD 4750 Covered Hoppers

From Tangent Models

Pullman-Standard (“PS”) began production of the 4750 covered hopper in 1972 and was the most popular seller within its peer group with more than 56,000 cars produced (not including thousands of clones from other builders and railroads). The 4750 followed upon the successful “high hip” design of one of Pullman’s earlier designs, the 4740 covered hopper, also offered by Tangent Scale Models. When Pullman ceased production of 4750s in 1981, the amassed fleet was the largest single body covered hopper fleet from any of builder, and was arguably the most prolific productions of a singular design during any era. In other words, they were super common! It was rare to find a manifest train without a PS4750 in it. 

Left to right are Pullman Standard 4427, 4750, 4740 covered hoppers

Model Information

The first purchase I made via ebay was this IHC rib side covered hopper. Unfortunately the seller chose not to protect the item from damage while in transit.

Damage that could have and should have been prevented. Once it's broken you can't unbreak it. Did you ever hear of bubble wrap?

In my parts box I found a suitable replacement truck and am preparing to get the car into revenue service with metal wheelsets and body mounted Kadee #5 couplers. Additional stick on weights have also been added to the metal weight inside the car.

The styrene strip has been attached to the freight car with CA. The coupler box is attached to the styrene strip with a 2-56 screw. The Talgo mount has been clipped from the trucks. and they are attached in the usual way. 

Getting the coupler height just right before putting the car into service.

The Cargill Salt covered hopper has PTLX reporting marks which indicate this is a private car owned by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation.
The Cargill Salt green Pullman Standard PS2CD-4750 covered hopper joins the Cargill light gray PS-4427 and the yellow PS-4740 covered hoppers. 

ACF Center Flow Covered Hopper

Prototype Information 

American Car & Foundry started production of the 4,600-cubic-foot-capacity Center Flow in January 1965. From the start of production through August 1971, the cars featured a single stiffener that ran horizontally along the car side. Cars built after that had parallel horizontal stiffeners near the top of the side. By the end of the production run in October 1981, more than 15,000 ACF 4600s were built. (Angela Cotay 2019 Model Railroader magazine) 

Following the arrival of the PS 4750 covered hopper above I purchased a Bachmann American Car & Foundry 4600 Cargill Salt center flow covered hopper via a different ebay seller. This freight car was well protected and arrived undamaged. Check out the bubble wrap. It works!!

The ACFX 47829 poses for a roster shot at Terminal Yard. The wheel faces were painted by a prior owner. The ACFX reporting marks are owned by General Electric Rail Services.

The salt hoppers are on the headend of the experimental Train QE-2 (Quaker Expedited) from Selkirk thru Empire City, NY.

The QE-2 rolls thru Bedford, NY. The new hoppers have been lightly weathered to blend in with some of the weathered yellow and gray Cargill covered hoppers.

Here we get a glimpse of some of the motive power being used for this experimental hotshot that will bring freight traffic for the Empire City Quaker Plant to Terminal Yard for movement to the EBRR's North Side Yard and then to Quaker.

Train QE-2 rolls thru Empire City to Terminal Yard. After arriving at Terminal Yard a few additional freight cars will be added to the freight consist. The same power will be used for the trip to North Side Yard as Train EC-1.

Train EC-2 heads back to Terminal Yard caboose lite after delivering twenty two freight cars for the Quaker Plant to North Side Yard. The four engine consist will get serviced and sent back to Selkirk in an SK (Terminal Yard-Selkirk) Train. 

Operational Aha Moments

Quaker is the single largest customer in Empire City that is served by the Empire Belt Railroad with a capacity of more than ten cars at the plant. Creating the Quaker Expedited Train allows for the movement of anywhere from twenty to thirty Quaker bound freight cars. That's a lot!!!

Adding the two EBRR U23Cs to the Penn Central QE-2 power pool out of Selkirk made sense to me as it bolstered the bankrupt PCs motive power fleet for this train and gets the 1:87 locomotives out of their boxes. 

Running the QE-2 with maximum tonnage would definitely impact North Side Yards available car capacity in a negative way. Drawing on the above prototype Quaker and Cargill freight yard photos it occurred to me that when in operations mode the track below is rarely if ever used. Aha!!! This single track with a lot of capacity can be used as a yard track for Quaker and Gervais Pipe & Fitting!! 

Working the Yard Track or Will it Work?

I measured the amount of freight cars that can be stored on the 22'' radius curve track that surrounds Quaker and Haydon Heights from this point.

The last of the Quaker traffic ended here so I didn't block the road crossing. I counted 21 cars, mostly 56' covered hoppers. Not bad!!!

This is a 2018 photo of the crossover from the Belt Line Secondary to the Belt Line Mainline which is to the lower left.

This photo from PCCM 48J posted in 2018 shows the EBRR crossing from the Belt Line main to the Belt Line Secondary. This should provide us with a good idea of how much head room is available to switch Quaker and Gervais Pipe. 

Using this 2018 photo we can imagine the HH crew pulling the entire cut of 21 cars to dig out whatever cars are needed to be placed at Quaker in whatever order they specified using the Quaker Yard track and the Belt Line main. 

A TLCX Cargill covered hopper is shoved thru Quaker while the other covered hoppers wait on the single track yard in the rear of the photo for their turn to be unloaded.

The ACFX Cargill Salt covered hopper, one of the causes of this look at expanding the Quaker operations poses on the Quaker siding before being shoved into the unloading area.

Final Thoughts & Comments

Running the dedicated QE-2 with Quaker Traffic is now even more doable with the opening of the single track yard. The Quaker Plant can choose what cars it needs and in what order they need to be placed creating an interesting switching operation for this one industry. It can be as complicated or as simple as I desire.

Freight traffic to Gervais Pipe & Fitting will handled in other Penn Central trains from Selkirk to Terminal Yard and onward to North Side Yard as usual in PC Train EC-1 or Empire Belt Train EB-3.

The Haydon Heights switch crew will be responsible for working the single track yard, moving the proper cars to the Quaker Plant and  Gervais Pipe. They will also deliver the outbound freight traffic to North Side Yard. The Belt Job power which utilizes more locomotives will handle the yard work and the heavy shove moves of Quaker traffic from North Side Yard to the newly designated Quaker Yard track.

Additional Links

Cargill Salt Portfolio.

Cargill Salt Production Facility Map.

Cargill Covered Hoppers Blog Post.

Quaker Oats Ingredients and Freight Cars.

Tangent Scale Models PTLX Cargill Salt covered hoppers.

Pullman Standard PS-2CD 4750 covered hoppers.

ACFX Cargill Center Flow Covered Hopper.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!

PCCM 112 After Action Report

 Greetings All,

PCCM 112 After Action Report

Penn Central Car Movements #112 has come and gone and it's time to take a look at this record setting virtual op and the PCCMs as a whole.

Outbound By the Numbers

In the outbound portion of PCCM 112 the NYCTL moved ninety nine (99) PCCM freight cars from on layout industries and off layout LIRR shippers to Terminal Yard for movement to their next on layout PCCM loads and to Selkirk. This is a virtual ops record!!!

Six trains were needed to get the PCCM traffic to Selkirk for movement to Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad. To accommodate the amount of PCCM freight traffic and keep the yards fluid PCCM trains were sent out in a sequence starting on day one and ending on day three.

Train Sequence

Train: APR-25 Auto Parts Return + TOFC. Fourteen cars.

Train: TKW-01 Mixed Freight for KPW and KPD. Eighteen cars.

Train: B&O Extra Empty Coal Hoppers. Twenty Cars.

Train: Extra 3175 Mixed Freight for the APRR. Twenty Cars.

Train: SK-5 Mixed Freight for the KPD. Ten Cars.

Train: SK-7 Mixed Freight for the APRR. 8 Cars.

Total Cars forwarded off layout to APRR and KPD: 90

Total Cars held for movement to industries for PCCM loads: 09

Inbound By The Numbers

Forty seven PCCM freight cars were dispatched to the NYCTL from the APRR (22) and the KPD (25) via Selkirk where the APRR and KPD freight traffic gets humped and combined as necessary for movement to Terminal Yard. Penn Central Trains TY-2, SP-10, and LI-1 were used to convey the mixed APRR-KPD freight traffic from Selkirk to Terminal Yard.

Interchange Partners Play a Big Role

As the PCCM progressed the amount of freight traffic has grown substantially and continues to grow as of today with the addition of the AP500 freight car. To handle this I created the freelance Empire Belt RR in 2017 and have turned to both online and offline interchanges. Key on-layout interchange partners EBRR and B&O handle a lot of PCCM traffic as does the off layout LIRR Fresh Pond Yard which interchanges freight traffic at the EBRR's North Side Yard.

The B&O H16-44s have found a new life working out of their 16th Street Yard. Below they are delivering a long cut of PCCM cars to Terminal Yard.

LIRR Train MA-4 gets ready to depart North Side Yard for Fresh Pond.

Ten Years of Coordinated Virtual Operations

The PCCMs have been been run for over a decade now. It all started in February 2016 with three Bachmann TPFX 5510 boxcars that were purchased at a train show for the possibility of "interchanging" freight cars with Ralph and Sir Neal. From there PC Ralph supplied the Penn Central Car Movement Cards that were used when we began to run the virtual ops.

TPFX 5510 as seen in PCCM 22D posted November 18, 2016

The Penn Central Transportation Company Car Movement Cards that were supplied by Ralph and from which the PCCM name for the virtual ops originated.

The PCCMs in Print

Last year Ralph, Neal and I worked on and submitted an article to the Operations Special Interest Group's Official Journal called The Dispatcher's Office. This article "A Decade of Coordinated Model Railroad Operations Between Three Layouts One Thousand Miles Apart" appeared in the July, 2025 issue.

Preparing for the Next Train Movements

At the conclusion of PCCM 112 with most freight car traffic no longer on the mainlines a work train was dispatched to clean the tracks in Bedford and the upper level of the of the Empire City peninsula whether they actually needed it or not.

Using a pair of powered GP30s with a non powered GP35 the consist pulled a group of mostly PRR MOW cars that included a non powered MOW box cab diesel track cleaning car from MDC along with two PRR MOW boxcars and a PRR orange caboose that I turned into track cleaning cars.

This is a pretty cool way to keep the tracks clean and I enjoyed railfanning the MOW train as it worked the mainlines.

The headend of the MOW train is passing Haydon Heights and North Side Yard.

Still in the works

Adding the New Haven RR

For some time I've wanted to include the New Haven RRs Cedar Hill Yard to Oak Point Yard in the Bronx as another off layout interchange. Following a prototype NH /PC Train known as ''the drop" the NH/PC would leave Cedar Hill and work its way south to the large Oak Point Yard and then Harlem River Yard, both in the Bronx. I'm imagining this train crosses the Long Island Sound and uses the lower level of the layout to make one more stop at Terminal Yard.

Four NH H16-44s provide the power to bring a NH train from Harlem River Yard up the slide at Bedford towards Terminal Yard.

For several reasons adding the New Haven as a regular ops partner and an active PCCM participant has stalled out. I hope to address this going forward by adding some specific freight traffic that originates or terminates on New Haven rails that can be funneled to the NH thru Terminal Yard. 

Final Thoughts & Comments

As of this writing a three layout PCCM 113 with the NYCTL, APRR and KPD is in the works. Look for this virtual op in early to mid October 2025 and check back here to see what else is happening with the NYCTL.

Thanks for Reading and Watching!!!

See you soon!!!