Two years behind rival EMD, General Electric entered the AC traction business in June 1993 with the AC4400CW - 4400 horsepower, "C" for 3-axle trucks, and "W" for wide North American cab. The new engine was basically an AC version of the Dash 9-44CW introduced the same year. The key external difference between the two engines is the large box behind the cab on the left side of the AC 4400CW, which houses much of the AC traction electronics.
Although General Electric's AC power arrived on the scene later, its AC engines have outsold those made by EMD. One reason may be GE's use of one inverter bank per traction motor, a design that allows the crew to cut out a single malfunctioning motor and still retain more than 80% of a locomotive's function. On a comparable EMD AC-powered engine, an entire truck has to be taken offline if one of its three motors fails.
One area of weakness for GE was its high adhesion trucks, which were generally acknowledged to be inferior to EMD's steerable radial truck. Later model AC4400CWs feature GE's own version of a steerable truck, which improves adhesion on curves.
Now you can bring the brute strength of the AC4400CW to your own freight operations. This model offers the industry-leading features you expect in a Premier diesel: awesome sounds, superb detailing, see-through body grilles, a wealth of added-on details, and smooth operation at any throttle setting from a crawl to high-speed mainline service.
- Intricately Detailed ABS Body
- Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank
- Colorful Paint Scheme
- Metal Chassis
- Metal Handrails and Decorative Horn
- (2) Cab Figures
- Spinning Roof Fans
- Metal Body Side Grilles
- Directionally Controlled Headlights
- Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
- (2) Remotely Controlled Proto-CouplersT
- (2) Precision Flywheel Equipped Motors
- Locomotive Speed Control
- Lighted Cab Interior
- Illuminated Number Boards
- Lighted Marker Lights
- Operating Ditch Lights
- Operating Smoke Unit
- Proto-Scale 3-2T 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
- Operates On O-42 Curves
- Measures: 18 1/2" x 2 5/8" x 4"
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