Railroad Trains for the Soul: CSX AC4400CW Overview
LaRosa’s Trains is excited to share more of the old operator training videos on General Electric diesel locomotives. Today’s film is the GE AC4400CW for CSX, dating from 1994. The previous training video shared last autumn covered the Southern Pacific DASH 9-44CW, the DC-traction sibling to the AC4400 (also purchased by that railroad). Both models feature many innovative components such as the 4,400-horsepower, 16-cylinder 7FDL diesel engine with electronic fuel injection, a pair of three-axle Hi-Ad (high-adhesion) trucks, a wide nose with comfort cab, and a split cooling system. While the AC44 has several obvious advantages over the DASH 9 (especially the AC traction system, of course), this video technically involves a few comparisons to a DASH 8 locomotive in terms of starting/continuous tractive effort and braking effort as well as the difference in horsepower output. Both SP and CSX purchased various models from the DASH 8 family, although the latter railroad had an earlier experience with comfort cab units, including the 4,000-hp DASH 8-40CW and the experimental 9000-series DASH 8-44CW.
Learn the external body differences between the DASH 8/DASH 9 and the AC4400, especially the large cabinet located behind the conductor’s side of the locomotive. It is used to house the air-cooled inverters that convert the rectified direct current to alternating current for the traction motors. The CSX AC44 also has three dynamic braking exhaust vents above the inverter cabinet (compared to two on older GE diesels), but most railroads preferred two of them on these modern units. You’ll be looking through many in-depth details about the Hi-Ad trucks, the AC motors, and the inverters. When it comes to cutting out a traction motor, power may be reduced and dynamic braking is disabled on DC locomotives. However, on GE’s AC locomotives, both power and braking are unaffected by a cut-out, due to the assistance from a reliable single axle control system where each inverter regulates only one motor.
Inside the operator’s cab, you’ll see the electronically advanced desktop control console with two computer screens called Interactive Display Units (IDU’s) for the engineer. Another screen is provided on the conductor’s console. The IDU’s replaced the analog gauges on the desktop as well as the Diagnostic Information Display (DID) panel that was formerly located on the back wall of the cab. Normally, DC locomotives feature an ammeter that measures the amperage of the traction motors during powering and dynamic braking. On the AC4400, however, a different calculation tool is used to measure tractive and braking efforts in pounds multiplied by 1,000. Like many previous GE diesel locomotives, the AC44 has a startup station next to the alternator.
As a special treat, you’ll see the GE AC4400CW demonstrator locomotive leading a heavy test train on the road. The CSX unit featured in this video was initially numbered 9100, but it was renumbered to 1 shortly after. Additionally, CSX’s famous lightning bolt was painted below the new number to represent the railroad’s AC traction fleet within its roster. Interestingly, there is another GE locomotive that is also wearing number 1, which is an Amtrak P42DC from the GENESIS series. Thanks to the CSX Transportation Historical Society, you’ll enjoy this 20-minute video on how the AC4400 works and why it has been one of the most reliable diesel locomotives for North American freight duty in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
Coming up soon: the GE AC6000CW!