Model the ground-shaking, high horsepower drama of modern railroading with these RailKing Imperial freight sets - headed by locomotives running today on the Norfolk Southern, one of two roads that dominate rail transportation east of the Mississippi. Created in 1982 from the merger of the Norfolk & Western and Southern Railways, the NS took as its symbol the thoroughbred, to represent speed and reliabilty - a symbol proudly displayed on the nose of its black and white diesels. But the NS is also proud of its heritage, as its rails include the routes of hundreds of predecessor railroads, dating back to the 1820s.
In 2012, the NS decorated 20 new diesels in paint schemes commemorating the most famous of its predecessors. Our model of the commemorative Pennsylvania diesel honors perhaps the greatest of those "fallen flag" roads, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the self-proclaimed "Standard Railroad of the World." In its heyday, the Pennsy was one of the largest and best-run companies the world had ever seen, with a budget larger than the U.S. government and 30,000 miles of track serving what was then the industrial heartland of the United States. Norfolk Southern engines are still serviced today in the Pennsy's legendary locomotive shop in Altoona, PA.
Our superbly detailed, top-of-the-line RailKing Imperial models of Norfolk Southern's ES44AC diesels feature a full range of locomotive sounds recorded from an actual ES44AC. Outfitted with twin powerful flywheel-equipped motors, all-metal wheels and gears, and our revolutionary Proto-Speed Control, these models will haul long freights at any speed from a crawl to full throttle. Remotely activated front and rear Proto-Couplers allow you to pick up and drop off freight wherever you like.
Additional Imperial features on the ES44AC include operating diesel exhaust smoke and flashing ditch lights. And with the DCS Remote Commander handheld controller included in each set, you can activate all of these features anywhere on your layout.
