HO 2020 ES44 Diesel Locomotives Ship

December 1, 2020 - The M.T.H. Union Pacific ES44 diesel locomotive in HO scale has arrived and is now shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers. Featuring onboard Proto-Sound 3.0 Digital Sound and Command Control package, the ES44 diesel features LED lighting, including flashing ditch lights and 29 F-Function DCC features accessible from any DCC Controller.

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 solid 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 division 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 turbocharged 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. Each of its cylinders displaces 950 cubic inches, nearly three times as much as an entire Corvette V-8.

GE claims the EVOs are “the most fuel-efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives in history… If every freight train in North America were pulled by an Evolution Series Locomotive, the reduction of smog-producing pollutants would be like removing 48 million cars from the road each year.” Everything about these locomotives has been examined, questioned, and re-thought, generating 25 new U.S. patents in the process. Before they went on sale in 2005, 52 preproduction units were tested in revenue service across the continent for more than a year. Every Big Six railroad has ponied up to buy the ES44, with the BNSF currently rostering the largest EVO fleet. Around the world, over 3,700 Evolution Series diesels are operating in 10 countries.

The ES44 returns to the M.T.H. HO lineup in 2020 and are available in multiple cab numbers and roadnames.

Click on any of the offerings on the left side of the page to learn more about the features and where to buy.