Broadway Limited - 7306 - Locomotive, Diesel, GE GEVO - Great Northern - 2905

Specific Item Information: Paragon4 Sound

Model Information: This model was introduced in 2018. The Broadway Limited ES44AC was their first modern diesel locomotive. This spectacularly detailed modern diesel comes equipped with their Paragon3 Sound and control system.It features: Integral DCC Decoder with Back EMF for Industry Best Slow Speed Operation in DC and DCC; Precision Drive Mechanism engineered for continuous heavy load towing and smooth slow speed operation; Premium Caliber Painting with Authentic Paint Schemes; Prototypical Light Operation with Golden White LED Headlight, Rear Light; ABS Body with Die Cast chassis for Maximum Tractive Effort; Separately Applied Handrails, Ladders, Whistle, and Brass Bell; Operates in DC & DCC (use DCMaster for DC Sound).

DCC Information: These models come with pre-installed DCC/Sound electronics.

Prototype History: The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems, initially designed to meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The first pre-production units were built in 2003. Evolution Series locomotives are equipped with either AC or DC traction motors, depending on the customer's preference. All are powered by the GE GEVO engine.

The Evolution Series was named as one of the "10 Locomotives That Changed Railroading" by industry publication Trains Magazine. It was the only locomotive introduced after 1972 to be included in that list. The Evolution Series, mainly the ES44DC, ES44AC, and ET44AC, are some of the best-selling and most successful freight locomotives in United States history, far surpassing the output of Electro-Motive Diesel.

ES44AC
The ES44AC (Evolution Series, 4400 HP, AC traction) replaced the AC4400CW model in the General Electric catalogue. The GE Evolution Series ES44AC locomotive represents an incredible combination of power, performance and efficiency. Originally designed to meet US EPA Tier 2 emissions, the ES44AC locomotive utilizes a 12-cylinder GE Evolution Series engine with 4-stroke combustion technology to maintain horsepower, reduce emissions, and lower fuel consumption compared to GE’s predecessor 16-cylinder FDL engine. From 2005 to 2015, the ES44AC became GE’s standard North American locomotive and a compelling platform for others worldwide.

ES44AH (C45AH)
The "H" in ES44AH stands for "heavy", which is in reference to a combination of subsystems that produce high levels of tractive effort at low speeds. UP's "AH" types are similar to CSXT's, except for their Hi-Ad trucks, and are designated C45AH's by Union Pacific.

ES44C4
The ES44C4 (Evolution Series, 4400 HP, AC traction, 4 powered axles) was introduced in 2009. While similar to the ES44AC, the ES44C4 has two traction motors per truck, instead of the conventional three such as on the ES44AC. The center axle of each truck is unpowered, giving an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. BNSF Railway is the launch customer for this model.

ES44DC
The ES44DC (Evolution Series, 4400 HP, DC traction) replaced the Dash 9-44CW model in the General Electric catalogue. Primary users are BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Canadian National Railway.

ET44AC
The ET44AC (Evolution Series Tier 4, 4400 HP, AC traction) replaces the ES44AC model. The GE Evolution Series ET44AC locomotive meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stringent Tier 4 emission standards without the use of any aftertreatment, enabling railroads to gain significant savings through urea infrastructure cost avoidance and reduced operational costs. Part of the Ecomagination-certified Evolution Series, the ET44AC locomotive is designed to meet Tier 4 emissions standards by reducing emissions by 70% below Tier 3 requirements. GE Transportation has invested $600M in the Evolution Series since its introduction in 2005 and is the first supplier of Tier 4 locomotives for Class 1 railroads.

ET44AH (C45AH)
Successor of the ES44AH.

ET44C4
Successor of the ES44C4.

From Wikipedia
From GE transportation website
Read more on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: The Great Northern was born in 1881 with the consolidation of several railroads of the northern plains under the leadership of James J. Hill. By 1893, the mainline from the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River to Seattle was complete.

The GN had two distinctly different characters. The eastern half was a largely flat, grain producing region serving cities like Fargo, the Twin Cities, Grand Forks, Duluth, Sioux Falls, Sioux City and even Winnipeg in Canada. The east end also included the iron ore rich regions of Minnesota. Half of North Dakota was blanketed by GN branchlines (21 in all) serving every imaginable grain elevator.

The western half is the mountainous portion that most people identify with Great Northern. This included crossing the northern Rockies and the even more difficult Cascade ranges. Cities on the western half included Billings, Butte, Helena, Havre, Spokane, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. In 1931, a connection to the Western Pacific was completed from Bieber north to Bend, Oregon. This line was disconnected from the rest of the Great Northern. They used trackage rights on the Oregon Trunk and SP&S to bridge the gap. The Cascade Tunnel, the longest on the continent at 7.8 miles, wasn’t completed until 1931. Construction included a massive sluiceway and hydro-electric power station to feed the electrified line through the tunnel and several miles of railroad on either side. This replaced the original Cascade Tunnel which was a third as long but 500 feet higher up the mountain. That replaced the original route that was another 700 feet higher, had 4% grades and 50 miles of snowsheds. All told, Great Northern had about 8,300 route miles.

The steam era was especially unkind to the Great Northern. They seemed to go out of their way to make their locomotives ugly. Belpaire fire boxes were the norm (made famous by the Pennsylvania, made hideous on the GN.) Headlights were often mounted just above center giving them a spinster look. Cab fronts were often at odd angles. The tender coal bunkers were often taller than the engines. But it wasn’t just aesthetics. GN had a knack for buying the wrong engines for the job. 150 Prarie type 2-6-2’s were so unstable at speed that they were busted down to branchline duty almost straight away and none survived after about 1930. Their first 4-8-2 Mountains built for passenger and fast freight were such a disaster, they were rebuilt into 2-10-2’s. Many railroads had built Mountains out of Mikes but no one had ever started with a Mountain and had to build something else from it. The first 2-6-6-2’s were so under-powered, the boilers were used to make Mikados instead. They did manage to build the largest, fastest, and most powerful Mikados in the country however. Their articulated fleet included 2-6-6-2, 2-6-8-0 (later rebuilt into Mikes), 2-8-8-0, 2-8-8-2 types as well as a pair of Challengers originally delivered to SP&S. Many engines were dressed up with green boilers and boxcar red cab roofs.

For the first generation of diesels, GN bought like many large railroads did: a sampling from everyone. Cab and hood units from EMD and Alco and switchers from EMD, Alco, and Baldwin populated the roster. GN’s first generation geeps and SD’s were delivered with the long hood as the front. This included their GP20’s which had high short hoods and the long hood as the front. Aside from an early black scheme for switchers, the GN fleet was delivered in Omaha Orange and green with yellow piping.

Beginning with the arrival of GP30s in 1962, the paint scheme was simplified by dropping the bottom orange band and the yellow piping. For the second generation, General Electric replaced Alco as a supplier of new road engines.

In 1962, some GN freight cars began to appear in Glacier Green which ran along side the vermilion paint adopted in 1956. In 1967, they went for a major shift. Sky Blue, white, and dark gray were joined by a new version of the Rocky the goat logo. There was talk that this would become the paint scheme for Burlington Northern. The GN name and logo was painted on a steel panel bolted the the hand railings of hood units, making it easier to remove after the merger. For whatever reason, they went with green, black and white, a version of which was simultaneously being tested on the Burlington Route. In 1970, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Spokane Portland & Seattle, and Burlington Route merged to form Burlington Northern.

Brand/Importer Information: Broadway Limited Imports, LLC defines itself as "the world's foremost producer of top-quality HO and N scale model trains".

The company was founded in 2002 and introduced its first N scale model in 2009.

Broadway Limited Imports is composed of a team of 15 fun loving individuals who are dedicated to creating the most realistic model railroading experience possible, with the best customer service possible.

The Broadway Limited Imports headquarters is located in Ormond Beach, Florida at 9 East Tower Circle. It's just under an hour's drive from Disney World.

About Broadway Limited Imports.