Sources close to the railroad tell Trains News Wire the locomotive is en route to Erwin for testing on the railroad’s former Clinchfield territory. The locomotive will be used in heavy haul service on the railroad’s Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin and Spartanburg, S.C.
It is unknown how long the locomotive will undergo testing before being released system wide.
CSXT No. 3251 is the first CSX Tier 4 ET44AH to be released from GE’s plant in Erie. No. 3250 was seen on GE’s test track in primer paint last month. One of the most noticeable external differences among the new Tier 4 locomotives designated as ET44AH models is a large, flared radiator section at the rear.
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I saw this unit eastbound through Huntington, WV, still trailing on Thursday, 4/20 at about 10:00AM.
Tier 3 4,440 HP AC GEVO GE locomotives are called ES44AC; Tier 4 (Four) ES44ACs (GEVOS) will be called ET44AC (standing for: Evolution, Tier 4, 4,400 HP, AC.
what does ET44AC ore ET44AH STAND FOR ON THE CSX NEW POWER. WILL SOME ONE PLEASE TELL ME.
These Tier 4 GEVOs are indeed named ET44s. No typo here.
To the Trains Editior:I thought the Evolution Series locomotives with AC traction were ES44AC,not ET44AC. I suspect Typo.
The radiators are angled, not flared. The radiator cores on each side are set at an angle to eachother (like a peaked roof) to fit inside the clearance diagram, since they would be too wide if set horizontally next to eachother. The radiator air intake grilles below the radiators are flared, however. (In fact, the radiators on the SD45 were not "flared", only the intake grilles were flared which allowed space for larger (wider) radiators). I believe the hump in front of the radiator encloses the turbocharger which has been raised to provide space for the cooler used to cool the recirculate exhaust gases.
I actually like the current CSX paint scheme, although they could lose the somewhat silly looking "boxcar" surrounding the logo.
I try not being negative about what is obviously a landmark locomotive, but the RR paint schemes are getting blander by the year. In twenty more years will they all be painted black with the minimum required reporting abbreviations and numbers?