MTH 30-20978-1 O ES44AC Imperial Diesel Engine With Proto-Sound 3.0 - Union Pacific (Flag)

With a wave of consolidation behind it, North American railroading is once again a good business to be in. Freight traffic is booming. Locomotive orders are coming in at a record pace from the Big Six roads that dominate rail transportation on the continent: Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. And the two remaining diesel builders are locked in a battle to become the locomotive supplier for the 21st century. Caterpillar®-owned EMD, no longer a divison of General Motors, is represented by the AC-traction-motored SD70ACe and its DC-traction sibling, the SD70M-2. General Electric’s standard bearers are the EVOs, the Evolution Series ES44AC and ES44DC. At the heart of the Evolution Series is a brand new prime mover, the four-cycle, 12-cylinder GEVO-12. While producing the same 4400 horsepower as its 16-cylinder FDL-series predecessor, the GEVO-12 uses less fuel and spits out 40% fewer emissions. GE claims the EVOs are “the most fuel-efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives in history.” Everything about these locomotives has been examined, questioned, and re-thought, generating 25 new U.S. patents in the process. And every Big Six railroad has ponied up to buy them, with the BNSF currently rostering the largest EVO fleet. Like our debut RailKing Imperial diesel, the SD70ACe, the ES44AC comes accurately decorated in modern motive power paint schemes. Our near-scale model is a full 17" in length, yet operates comfortably on O-31 curves. Under the hood of the Proto-Sound 3.0 version is the same sound and control system found in our more expensive Premier model of this locomotive this locomotive, with sounds recorded from the actual prototype. Additional Imperial features include operating diesel exhaust smoke and flashing ditch lights. If you're looking for realism and a lot of fun at a RailKing price, it doesn't get any better than this! Did You Know? Fully loaded, an Evolution Series diesel carries 5000 gallons of diesel fuel, 450 gallons of lube oil, and 400 gallons of cooling water. To celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2012, the Norfolk Southern Railway painted 20 freight diesels in paint schemes honoring its predecessor railroads. Eleven of the prototype schemes were applied to EMD SD70ACe locomotives at Progress Rail Services’ shops in Muncie, IN. Norfolk Southern employees at its Chattanooga, TN and Altoona, PA shops applied the remaining nine heritage schemes to General Electric ES44AC diesels. Intricately Detailed ABS Body Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank Metal Chassis Metal Handrails and Horn (2) Engineer Cab Figures Authentic Paint Scheme Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears (2) Remote Controlled Proto-Couplers Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting Directionally Controlled Constant Voltage LED Headlights Operating Ditch Lights (2) Precision Flywheel-Equipped Motors Operating Smoke Unit Onboard DCC Receiver Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring Freight Yard Proto-Effects Unit Measures: 17” x 2 1/2” x 3 3/4” Operates On O-31 Curves Diesel DCC Features Headlight Bell Whistle/Horn Start Up/Shut Down Rear Coupler Front Coupler Engine Sounds On/Off Sound Volume Ditch Lights Auto/On/Off Forward Signal Reverse Signal Grade Crossing Signal Cab Light On/Off Extended Start Up Extended Shut Down Rev Up Rev Down Coupler Slack Sound Coupler Close One-Shot Doppler Feature Reset Idle Sequence 1 Idle Sequence 2 Idle Sequence 3 Brakes Auto/Off Cab Chatter Auto/Off Clickety-Clack Auto/Off