Most were still in service in 2019 (Only ones retired have been involved in wrecks)
The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems (now owned by Wabtec), initially designed to meet the U.S.EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The line is the direct succesor to the GE Dash 9 Series. 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.[4]
The Evolution Series was named as one of the "10 Locomotives That Changed Railroading" by Trains Magazine and was the only locomotive series introduced after 1972 to be included in that list.[5]
The Evolution Series locomotives are some of the best-selling and most successful freight locomotives in United States history.
Models
Currently, six different Evolution Series models (seven if you count the ET23DCM), have been produced for the North American market. They are all six-axle locomotives and have AAR wheel arrangement C-C (UIC classification Co′Co′), except for the ES44C4 which uses the AAR A1A-A1A wheel arrangement and the meter-gauge version developed for the Brazilian network ES43BBi which is AAR B-B-B-B.
ES40DC (2004–2008)
NS ES40DC No. 7698
The ES40DC (Evolution Series, 4,000hp, DC traction) replaced the Dash 9-40CW model in the General Electric catalogue and, like the former model, was delivered exclusively to Norfolk Southern Railway. ES44DCs owned by CSX Transportation were also given this designation in 2009 after being de-rated to 4,000hp (3,000kW). However, high-horsepower demand on Norfolk Southern made a mandatory repowering of several ES40DC engines into their former ES44DC power.[6]
ES44DC (2005–2010)
CSX ES44DC No. 5442
The ES44DC (Evolution Series, 4,400hp, DC traction) replaced the Dash 9-44CW model in the General Electric catalogue. Primary users are BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Canadian National Railway. Pilbara Iron in Australia ordered a lengthened, international version designated ES44DCi. The extra length is used for a larger radiator to increase cooling capacity in the Australian outback.
Union Pacific also bought the heavy ballasted variation of this model, the ES44AH, and refers to it as the C45AH. UP also uses this designation to refer to their ET44AH units.
CSX Transportation has bought these locomotives and they were always heavy ballasted, so they called these the ES44AH. The first set was 700-999, which was built from 2007-2011. Beginning 2023, CSX has repainted and renumbered the 3000 series locomotives to heritage units. The first heritage, 1827, was painted into Baltimore & Ohio and renumbered from 3059 on May 11, 2023.
BNSF Railway has bought 25 ES44AC locomotives in 2023, and they are all classified as ES44ACH. They were built between August and September of 2023 and were built concurrently with the ET44ACH. The numbers were 3282-3306, which officially ended the production of the ES44C4 in 2020. These units are Tier 4 credit units. In 2024, BNSF has bought 25 more ES44ACH locomotives, which are numbered from 3307-3331. These locomotives weigh 436,320 lbs.
The ES44C4 (Evolution Series, 4,400hp, C to denote 3 axles per truck, 4 traction motors) 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. No ES44C4s with DC traction were built. The center axle of each truck is unpowered, giving an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. BNSF Railway is the launch customer for this model, ordering an initial batch of 25 units numbered 6600–6624.[7] The ES44C4 was initially only built for BNSF. The 4200s and units 7921-7999 are certified as Tier 4 Credit units, while the others are Tier 2 or Tier 3. On 30 January 2014 Florida East Coast Railway announced that they would buy 24 ES44C4s, to be numbered 800–823, for heavy haul service and intermodal traffic. All were delivered by the end of 2014, in order to beat the EPA's deadline on exhaust-emissions standards for new-built Tier 3 locomotives.
A feature of these units is a variable traction control system in their computer systems. One of the differences between an ES44AC and an ES44C4 is the air cylinders and linkages on the truck sideframes of the ES44C4; these are part of the traction control system. Every time a variation in grade, traction, or wheel slip occurs, the computer adjusts the pressure in these cylinders to maintain sufficient adhesion, by varying the weight on the drive axles.[8][9]
ES44DCi/ES44ACi
Wabtec ES44ACi No. 2542Rio Tinto ES44DCi No. 8181
The ES44DCi (Evolution Series, 4400 horsepower, DC traction, international version) was built for the Rio Tinto railway in Australia. The ES44ACi was built for the Roy Hill and Rio Tinto Group.
Rio Tinto's units can be remotely driven, meaning nobody has to be in the cab as they can be controlled from a control center.[10]
The ES44ACi/DCi is essentially an ES44AC/DC in a GE AC6000CW's body, with the radiator at the end protruding out over the rear deck in the same way the AC6000CW does. The locomotive's large radiator allows it to handle the Australian outback's extreme temperatures.
Roy Hill has ordered 21 ES44ACi locomotives, and is currently in possession of all 21 locomotives (numbered 1001 "Ginny"-1021). Rio Tinto ordered 100 ES44DCi locomotives and has all 100 (numbered 8100–8199) and 21 ES44ACi locomotives (numbered 9100–9120) and more are on order.
Ferromex also acquired 50 ES44ACi. As the construction of these locomotives was subsequent to the new environmental laws of the US, GE cataloged them only as ES44ACi, although in the external technical specifications of the locomotives say ES44AC). These locomotives can no longer reenter the US operating.
In Brazil, the Rumo, Suzano and MRS Logística railways purchased 25 units, manufactured at Wabtec of Brazil with broad-gauge trucks.[11]
ET44AC/ET44C4 (2012–present)
Union Pacific ET44AC (C45AH) No. 2668BNSF ET44C4 No. 3680
The ET44AC (Evolution Series Tier 4, 4,400hp, AC traction) replaces the ES44AC model. These locomotives have been ordered by most of the Class I railroads in North America, including Union Pacific, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National Railway, Kansas City Southern and BNSF Railway. BNSF Railway also ordered similar ET44C4 locomotives, which have no traction motor and a dynamic weight management system on the middle axle of each truck. UP and CSX designates their ET44ACs as ET44AH although UP calls these C45AH, and BNSF calling them ET44ACH as their locomotives are heavy-ballasted.
BNSF Railway has bought 25 ET44AC locomotives in 2023, and they are all classified as ET44ACH. They were built between May and September of 2023 and were built concurrently with the ES44ACH. The numbers were 3650-3674, which officially ended the production of the ET44C4 in 2020. The first unit, which was 3650, was the first one to be built in May 2023. These units follows the Tier 4 standards. In 2024, BNSF has bought 25 more ET44ACH locomotives, which are numbered from 3625-3649. These locomotives weigh 436,320 lbs.
ET23DCM (2023–present)
The ET23DCM (Evolution Series Tier 4, 2350 hp, DC traction), sometimes called the SD23T4, is a modernized locomotive using EMD's SD40-2 platform and the Wabtec Inline 6-cylinder Tier 4 diesel engine. CSX Transportation ordered 15 of these locomotives, with most being built at their Huntington Heavy Repair Shop. Wabtec also built one locomotive as a demonstrator from ex-NS SD40-2 3259
The 3TE25K2M is an export 1520mm gauge locomotive in the GE Evolution Series for Russian Railways
Identifying features
The Evolution Series locomotives are visually similar to the AC4400CW and GE Dash 9 Series, although small differences are evident. The most noticeable difference is the radiator section at the rear of the locomotive is larger to accommodate the GEVO's air-to-air intercoolers. As with the AC6000CW, the radiators project beyond the end of the hood. On the ES44ACi and ES44DCi models, the radiator extends in the same way as the AC6000CW, protruding out over the rear deck. For the other Evolution Series locomotives, the radiator does not protrude completely over the rear deck, but rather sits nearly flush with the rear of the engine hood. Unlike previous GE locomotives, the grills under the radiator are at two different angles. The increase in radiator size is due to the necessity for greater cooling capacity in the locomotive in order to reduce emissions. The other major difference between the Evolution Series and earlier models is the vents below the radiators, which are larger than those on previous GE locomotives.[12] Also, all Evolution Series units have air conditioners mounted below the cab on the conductor's side.
Built between 2005 and 2010. 7650-7743 are painted in Heritage II (H2), except for 7687 that is in Heritage III (H3). Few of these are getting repainted into H3. The rest of the ES44DC's are in H3. 7695 is painted in the Golden Swoosh scheme using H3. 7514, 7553, 7673, 7838, and 7847 were wrecked and retired. 7814 and 7907 were repaired after train collisions.
Built between October 2003 and April 2004, these are pre-production units.
5748–5837
Built 2005.
5844–6438
Built between 2005 and 2009, BNSF 5942 was wrecked at Cactus, Texas in October 2006, but was rebuilt in 2009. 5958 was wrecked and retired in December 2013 while 6348 was wrecked and retired in 2019. 5774 was wrecked in Garza County, TX in October 2023 and retired. 5828, 5869, 5872, 6017, 6022, 6075, 6078, 6111, 6163, and 6179 were painted into BNSF's 25th anniversary stickers scheme in 2020 that celebrates 25 years of BNSF Railway as it started in 1995 from two railroads, BN and ATSF.
3282-3331
Tier 4 credit units.[14] Ballasted to 436,320lb, and classified ES44ACH.[15]
2800–2975 were built 2012 through 2015. The first 2015 order (2951–2975) was built to Tier 3 standards but after the Tier 4 cutoff date and therefore are restricted to operation in Canada only. More Tier 4-compliant ET44AC's were on order for 2015 delivery, with the first two, CN 3002 and 3004, entering service on 6 August 2015. 8 additional Tier 4 units (2976–2983) were built in 2016–2017. 2984–2999 and 3800–3805 built in late 2017. 3806–3835 built in 2018 and 3836–3875 built in 2018–2019. 3913–3987 are ex-CREX units.
These are classified as ES44AH by the CSX and they weigh 432,000lb. These were built between 2007 and 2015. 847 and 963 have been wrecked and retired. Three units have special names and paint schemes: 911 Spirit of Our First Responders, 3112 renumbered to 1776 Spirit of Our Armed Forces and 3194 Spirit of Our Law Enforcement. CSXT 3099 lettered "Spirit of West Springfield and Safety Train"; wrecked 2018 in Mexico and scrapped. 3059, 3055, 3046, 3067, 3061, 3054, 3058, 3049, 3069, 3066, and 3057 have been renumbered to 1827, 1836, 1850, 1852, 1853, 1869, 1871, 1897, 1973, 1976, 1972, and 1982 respectively and are painted in to various heritage paint schemes.
4600-4659 built in 2006 at the GE plant in Erie, PA. 4660-4699 built in 2007 at the GE plant in Erie, PA.
50
4800–4849
Delivery started in June 2016. Units numbered 4800–4818 were built at the GE plant in Erie, PA. Units numbered 4819–4849 were built at the GE plant in Fort Worth, Texas. 4815 was wrecked and retired in 2018. 4838 also wrecked and retired.
Delivered from 2008 to 2009, these are the first new units purchased by this railroad and were originally intended for CSX.
Delivered in early 2010. 513 is painted in a Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad heritage scheme in honor of this Iowa Interstate predecessor. Delivered in early 2010. 513 is painted in a Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad heritage scheme in honor of this Iowa Interstate predecessor. Delivered in 2015. 516 is painted in a Rock Island inspired 30th anniversary paint scheme. These are Tier 4 Credit units. They were set for delivery in late 2019.
Built between January and February 2003, these are pre-production units and classified as C45ACCTE by UP. They have since been renumbered to 5348–5352.
These are classified as C45ACCTE by UP. 5359, 5412, 5482, 7421 and 7914 were wrecked and retired. UP 2010, an ES44AC Boy Scouts of America tribute unit, was unveiled on 31 March 2010, in Houston, Texas to commemorate 100 years of Boy Scouts. The unit was renumbered from 7469. However, in early 2022 it was repainted into the Union Pacific lettered scheme after months of sitting in storage. It kept its number of 2010.[21] In September 2010, UP 7400 was unveiled, featuring a pink ribbon on the side as a tribute to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 7964 was the 5000th GEVO to be built at Erie, PA on June 2012. In 2016, the banner was removed after a few years of having it on to prove it.
296
8052–8267, 2520–2569, 2740–2769
These are the ES44AH model, classified as C45AH by UP. These units are 432,000lb (196,000kg) compared to the ES-series standard 416,000lb (189,000kg), and are supplied with all required equipment and computer software to be classified as "AH" heavy units. UP's "AH" types are similar to CSXT's, except for their Hi-Ad trucks, and are designated C45AH's by U.P.[22] 2520–2569 and 2740–2769 are Tier 4 Credit units. 2542 wrecked in Texarkana, TX in 2015 and retired.
Built between November and December 2014. All units have since been converted to use a combination of standard diesel fuel/liquid natural gas mixture, supplied from an external tender towed behind the locomotives.[23]
They ordered the locomotives for operation on their privately owned rail line, operated by Pilbara Iron.[24] The ES44DCi uses the AC6000CW's longer frame to allow space for a heavy duty cooling system to cope with the hot desert environment that the locomotives operate in.[25] Units 8100–8118 were delivered in a predominantly grey paint scheme,[26] while units 8119–8199 feature additional red lettering and striping.[27]
49
9100–9148
These units are numbered from 9100 onwards and more are on order. They are the ES44ACi and are painted in the Rio Tinto silver with red stripes and numerals.
Units 3008, 3023, 3069, and 3115 repainted to commemorative heritage paint schemes. Units 3015 and 3233 painted into unique paint schemes commemorating veterans. Unit 3103 wrecked MS, 2017 and retired from roster. 3286-3295 were built in early 2023.
These are classified as ET44AH by the CSX. 3440 lettered "Spirit of Ravenna" along with L&N and KSHC markings after attending the announcement of Kentucky Steam buying the Ravenna yard property from CSX. Units 3438 and 3374 wrecked GA, 2020.
Built between 2015 and 2020. 3967 was wrecked and retired. 3971 was repaired after damage. Additional units, numbered 3721–3724 were built in late 2019. More units, numbered 3675–3706, (built early through mid-2020).
The first ET23DCM built as a demonstrator and engineering test locomotive was constructed by Wabtec in Albia, Iowa and is now used for testing in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The first two CSX locomotives were built by Wabtec in Albia, Iowa and the remaining thirteen were constructed by CSX at their Huntington Heavy Repair Shop in Huntington, West Virginia. All locomotives were sent through RJ Corman in Lexington, Kentucky for final work before entering service. These are classified as SD23T4 by CSX.
Ordered 2017, They are valued at $575 million that can be used for both passengers or freight rail.[citation needed] The first 10 units were delivered in November 2019.[36][37]
In 2002, GE and UGL launched the Evolution Series locomotive, and in 2009, continued their partnership for another 10 years for UGL to distribute and sell GE locomotives in Australia.[39]
In November 2015, it was announced Indian Railways and GE would engage in a 11-year joint venture in which GE would hold a majority stake of 74%, to provide a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of type ES43ACmi[40] which are 4,500 horsepower and type ES57ACi[41] which are 6,000 horsepower each. Indian Railways designated these 1,676mm (broad gauge) locomotives as the WDG-4G class and WDG-6G class respectively. General Electric has invested ₹2,052 crore (US$305 million) for its construction. In the $2.6 Billion deal, Indian Railways would purchase 1,000 goods locomotives a year for ten years beginning in 2017; the locomotives would be modified versions of the GE Evolution series.Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah was built by GE for the manufacture of the locomotives.
The first six of these Class 44-000 locomotives were built in Erie, Pennsylvania, in April and July 2015. In October 2015, the first of the 227 South African-built locomotives was nearing completion at Transnet Engineering's Koedoespoort shops in Pretoria.[43]
See also
EMD SD70 series, a similarly powerful locomotive produced by EMD in response to GE's predecessor of the Evolution Series, the Dash 9 Series.
Wabtec FLXDrive, a battery-electric locomotive built by Wabtec based off the Evolution Series design.
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References
Notes
1 2 These locomotives are most often used in GE Transportation/Wabtec's small test fleet on a nearly 3-mile-long (4.8km) test track in Erie, PA, to test new locomotives before delivery.
↑ Most units have been sold to Canadian National as of 2021. "Canadian National". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
↑ "Archived copy"(PDF). www.gevirtualrailexpo.com. Archived from the original(PDF) on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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