591 about to emerge from Allegheny Tunnel - After climbing up from Altoona and actually further than that, the empty coal train has finished ascending the Allegheny Mountains as it is about to come out of Allegheny Tunnel with AC44C6M 4446 leading the way
Railroad
Norfolk Southern
Class
GE AC44C6M
Road Number
NS 4446
Line/Subdivision
NS Pittsburgh Line
Location
Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, USA
Date Taken
June 04, 2023
Date Uploaded
June 05, 2023
Views
171
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591 about to emerge from Allegheny Tunnel - After climbing up from Altoona and actually further than that, the empty coal train has finished ascending the Allegheny Mountains as it is about to come out of Allegheny Tunnel with AC44C6M 4446 leading the way
34 years old. Moved from Long Island New York to Altoona PA in 2009. Visited the NS Pittsburgh Line years before moving. I have become a fan of Steam Engines over the last 5 years or so. And the Union Pacific Steam engines are a big hit on my list. Exploring the country little by little when I have time.
GE AC44C6M
The GE AC44C6M is a refurbished Dash 9 locomotive from GE Transportation Systems that has 4,400 horsepower (3,300 kW) of AC-traction. Since September 2015, GE (now Wabtec), American Motive Power, Inc., and Norfolk Southern Railway's Juniata and Roanoke Shops have been doing AC44C6M rebuilds. The AC44C6M replaces the Dash 9's DC traction motors with alternating current GE 5GEB13B7 traction motors while keeping the 16-cylinder 7FDL-16 prime mover that was previously used in the core locomotive. The rebuilds still contain the original Dash 9 units' underframe, engine, and radiator compartments, but they have new wide-nosed cabins, a new front hood section, and a new inverter cabinet. The cost of converting a vintage Dash 9 locomotive into an AC44C6M is only 50–60% of purchasing a brand new Tier-4 Compliant locomotive. In comparison to an un-rebuilt Dash 9, the AC44C6M is found to have an improvement of 17% in fuel efficiency, 30% improvement in reliability, and a 55% improvement in haulage capability according to Wabtec.
NS 4446 is a class GE AC44C6M and is pictured in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, USA. This was taken along the NS Pittsburgh Line on the Norfolk Southern. Photo Copyright: Marc Lingenfelter uploaded to Railroad Gallery on 06/05/2023. This photograph of NS 4446 was taken on Sunday, June 04, 2023. All Rights Reserved.