Athearn Genesis HO AC4400CW Union Pacific “ex SP”

Description

Railroad Short Name: UP

Prototype Information:

Introduced by GE in 1993 and built until 2004, when it was replaced by the Evolution Series Tier II compliant model, the AC4400CW is a staple of modern railroading. 2,834 examples were built with many still plying the rails in their as delivered configurations or as rebuilt variations. Many Class 1, regional, and foreign railroads purchased the AC4400CWs. Ownership spanned the North American Continent and with their long lives, have seen numerous paint scheme variations and ownership changes through the years. The AC4400CW went through a large number of changes during its production. Some are easily noticeable; early units being delivered with GE’s Hi-Adhesion Trucks, while later units that had the option for newly developed GE Steerable Truck. Other details are smaller and takes a careful eye to see; the addition of a door stop, how the step wells are reinforced, or the number and positioning of panels and doors.

UP Features:

• Primed for Grime
• GPS pod
• Replaced AC unit in UP yellow
• Regular spare knuckle holder on rear pilot

The Union Pacific acquisition of the Southern Pacific in 1996 saw the transfer of SP newly acquired AC4400CWs to a new railroad. As they were essentially brand new, there was no push to repaint these units and they existed for several years without modification. Eventually the AC4400CWs were renumbered with simple patches over the SP paint, but as this was done on a unit-by-unit basis where they were, the patches all had a measure of uniqueness.

Road Number Specific Features:

#6193

• Formerly SP 138; Wears two UP shields on the nose (sometimes referred to as cheek shields), UP shield on rear patched in yellow reporting marks in grey faded grey and red to represent the significant sun-bleaching these units received.

#6289

• Formerly SP 289; Infamous “Flaming Patch-Job” unit with a distinctive stylized flames on rear of locomotive, Single UP shield over faded SP logo on front yellow sill stripe modern PTC Antenna boxes.

Locomotive Features:

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
• DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
• Accurately –painted and –printed paint schemes
• LED lighting adjusted to lifelike settings.
• Illuminated number boards
• Illuminated ground lighting above the front truck (per prototype)
• Illuminated front and rear walkway lights
• Illuminated marker lights (where applicable)
• Etched, see-through walkway steps
• Animated roller bearing caps
• Coupler cut levers
• Flexible rubber MU hoses for durability
• Flexible rubber trainline hose
• See-through cab windows
• Full cab interior
• Walkway tread
• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
• Windshield wipers
• Lift rings
• Wire grab irons
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
• Sander lines
• Brass horns correct to the prototype
• McHenry® scale knuckle couplers – Kadee compatible
• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
• Packaging securely holds model for safe storage