The GE AC44C6M is an AC-traction

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...

, rebuilt from GE Transportation Systems Dash 9 locomotives. AC44C6M rebuilds have been done by GE (now Wabtec), American Motive Power, Inc., and

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

's Juniata and Roanoke Shops, starting in September 2015. The AC44C6M retains the 16-cylinder 7FDL-16

prime mover Prime mover may refer to: Philosophy *Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings Engineering * Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy o ...

used in the core locomotive prior to rebuilding, but replace the Dash 9's DC traction motors with

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

GE 5GEB13B7

traction motors A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit. Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles ( electric multiple ...

. Externally, the rebuilds have received new wide-nosed cabs, a new front hood section, and a new inverter cabinet behind the cab, while retaining the underframe and engine and radiator compartments of the original Dash 9 units. 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. Norfolk Southern was the launch customer and is the largest operator of this model, with over 500 locomotives rebuilt as of 2022. 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's AC44C6M locomotive features a new under-floor air conditioner, cab signals, LSL, DPU systems, PTC, and ECP braking ability.

Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the ...

has 19 AC44C6M locomotives. These were rebuilt from former BNSF Dash 9 locomotives. Fortescue Metals Group has 28 AC44C6M locomotives. These feature a larger radiator than other AC44C6M rebuilds.

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

also announced plans to rebuild 75 of their Dash 9 locomotives into AC locomotives, presumably AC44C6Ms, as part of a large order to rebuild much of their GE locomotive fleet Union Pacific is a major customer of the similar AC4400CWM rebuild program. A Canadian National AC44C6M rebuild was spotted outside of a Wabtec facility in early September 2022. This was later revealed to be an order for 50. The AC4400CWM is a similar rebuild program undertaken by GE/Wabtec, but starts with an AC4400CW instead of a Dash 9. Union Pacific,

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

, and

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

have rebuilt AC4400CW's into AC4400CWM's. The AC44C4M is a similar rebuild program undertaken by GE and BNSF, but AC44C4M locomotives feature 4 traction motors and an A1A-A1A configuration rather than the AC44C6M's 6-traction motors in a C-C configuration. This is similar to the

ES44C4 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 first pre-production ...

and ET44C4 that BNSF also operates. These locomotives also retain their original cabs. BNSF has so far been the only customer of the AC44C4M, with 20 locomotives as of 2022.

Operators

References

Further reading