They're here... CSX ES44AH's

CSX designated these units as ES44AC. The "heavy" reference is designated with the engine numbering series. Such as the GE CW44ac 500 series, CW60ac 600 series, EMD SD80Mac's, SD70Mac's.

Mike Walsh wrote:

Otto Vondrak wrote:What are "DPU operations?"

-otto-

obviously not a mountain-territory railfan, whatsoever.


DPU = Dynamic Propulsion Unit, or some other acronym.


Basically, a remotely operated PUSHER that is USUALLY kept with the train.

It's common on the Union Pacific's Jefferson City sub, through St. Louis. There's a 1% (or so) ruling grade for 2 miles through Kirkwood, MO (which is the peak of the grade, btw)... and you can always hear the DPU rumbling.. but by the time it passes you at the depot, it's not rumbling so hard anymore since the train is already over the hill.

So yeah, there you have it. a pusher unit. simple.

You're right, a pusher. I've seen DPU standing for "distributed power unit"

http://www.getransportation.com/na/en/locotrol.html

roadster wrote:CSX designated these units as ES44AC. The "heavy" reference is designated with the engine numbering series. Such as the GE CW44ac 500 series, CW60ac 600 series, EMD SD80Mac's, SD70Mac's.

The only time the "H" is used in the name is with the higher numbered CW44AC's (some of the 500's and 5100's). Since they're ballasted and still in the same series as the rest of the CW44AC's, they changed the designation to CW44AH to distinguish the two more easily.

Also, I could've sworn it was only the low numbered SD70AC's (the original 700's, recently renumbered to the 4500 series) that were ballasted, not the newer units (4700's and 4800's). I don't think the CW60AC's (600's and 5000's) or SD80AC's (upper 4500's and low 4600's) are either, for that matter. They're still heavy units, yes, but I don't think they're ballasted, which was the point of the "H" designation...

One is enroute westbound from Framingham to Selkirk tonight on Q423, and the other 2 looked like they worked east from Selkirk to Springfield last night.

First photo that I've found, dated 10/29/2007 at Erie:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictur ... C_3280.JPG

Otto Vondrak wrote:Haha-thanks. I'll take you up on the Boston & Albany sometime.

-otto-

Or, Pittsburg Sub up by Cresson is a better bet. Helpers never get a break there


Dan

NorfolkSouthernSean wrote:First photo that I've found, dated 10/29/2007 at Erie:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictur ... C_3280.JPG

Wow they really don't look any different, do they...

Can you say................. BORING????!!!!

>>MC

Hey... They just look like the ES44DC's!

I am kind of disappointed, and hoped for lightning bolts on the road numbers.

So since the SD80MACs are up here testing in DPU service with the ES44ACs, when they head south, will the 80s go with them? It would make sense keeping all of the DPU-equipped power together...

I hope to god I see a Big Mac before they all head south again!

>>MC

Seems logical Nick, I can't find my guide right now but I know that the Sd80Mac's , SD70Mac's (700 series) and CW60's are listed as Heavys by CSX. I believe their normal weight puts them into what CSX considers "Heavy" without adding ballast as in the CW44ac's.

Conrail4evr wrote:

roadster wrote:CSX designated these units as ES44AC. The "heavy" reference is designated with the engine numbering series. Such as the GE CW44ac 500 series, CW60ac 600 series, EMD SD80Mac's, SD70Mac's.

The only time the "H" is used in the name is with the higher numbered CW44AC's (some of the 500's and 5100's). Since they're ballasted and still in the same series as the rest of the CW44AC's, they changed the designation to CW44AH to distinguish the two more easily.

Also, I could've sworn it was only the low numbered SD70AC's (the original 700's, recently renumbered to the 4500 series) that were ballasted, not the newer units (4700's and 4800's). I don't think the CW60AC's (600's and 5000's) or SD80AC's (upper 4500's and low 4600's) are either, for that matter. They're still heavy units, yes, but I don't think they're ballasted, which was the point of the "H" designation...

You hit the nail on the head here. Only the fromer 700 series 70MAC's were ballasted, this includes the former CR units. As a matter of fact it is quite evident on them as they added the weight by welding big old plates of steel on top of the walk way on the engineer's side of the long hood. This gives them the look of having traction motor duct work on both sides rather than just on the fireman's side. As for the H it is for heavy and reffers to the weight of the units, although the 500 and 5100 series CW44AH's are also sometimes reffered to as Magnum's. As far as the H designation goes it is assigned to any unit with a weight of 420,000 pounds or more. The lightest of the heavy units are the 80MAC's and the first 3 CW60AC's which in fact weigh in at 420,000 pounds. The 4700-4800 70MAC's weigh in at 428,000 pounds as do the 70ACe's. Finally the heaviest units at 432,000 pounds are the remaining CW60AC's, CW44AH's (495-599, 5100-5122) and the ES44DC's, the lone CW44-6 (699) has the same weight as well. Also of note here is that CW44AH's 500-505, 585 and 588 are equipped with the high tractive effort software (36,000 pounds of tractive effort per traction motor) and 506-511 have the high TE software (33,000 pounds of tractive effort per traction motor). All of the other CW44's are rated at 30,000 pounds of tractive effort per traction motor. Finally there are the two former WM SD40's which weigh in at 420,000 pounds after being ballasted by the WM in the mid 70's, they being the 8437 and 8438, of which only the 8437 remains on the CSX roster.

As for looks of the new units I think that the steerable trucks look much better than the roller skates on the DC units, although I would like to see the bolts on the cab sides. And don't tell me about grades until you watch a coal train come up Cranberry Grade!

Scooter

Well, as for the SD80MAC's, I haven't been able to get any "official" confirmation on it (scooter? roadster?), although I've heard it from several sources. And, for that matter, I can't really think of why else they would've been pulled from Benning and sent up this way, right as the new ES44AC's are coming out. Any way about it, they're up here, shoot 'em while you can! http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 13&nseq=18

As for the GEVO's, from the current rumors floating around, there's still hundreds more to come (a combination of AC and DC units, that is). I wouldn't be at all surprised if the total number of GEVO's CSX ends up with dwarfs the number of CW44AC's they have on the roster. It's funny how things change...it wasn't that long ago that many of us railfans used to whine about EMD standard cabs on the point of everything. Now it's getting to the point that I'll go out just to catch an SD40-2 leading in good light.

The "H" in CSXT's locomotive classification system designates locomotives equipped with GE's HTE (i.e. high tractive effort) adhesion-management software. It does not designate the company's "heavy" locomotives (i.e. AC-traction units with weights of at least 420,000 pounds).

When CSXT acquired its first AC4400CWs and SD70MACs, the tonnage ratings that it assigned to them were overly optimistic. In adverse weather, particularly on the Mountain Subdivision east of Grafton, West Virginia, they were often not able to move the tonnage that the company expected them to move. CSXT, GE, and EMD attempted to correct this situation by increasing the units' weight and configuring them with advanced adhesion-management software. These efforts were somewhat successful.

The only operational difference between "heavy" units and standard-weight units is that the head-end consists of coal drags dispatched east from Grafton in adverse weather are supposed to have two "heavy" units. Other than that, the company assigns "heavy" and standard-weight units interchangeably. It also assigns the same tonnage ratings to each model regardless of unit weight.

In a subsequent effort to increase CSXT AC-traction tonnage ratings, GE developed its HTE software. The primary test units for this software were AC4400CWs 500 and 504. This consist was assigned to Mountain Subdivision helper service from November 2004 into March 2006. The purpose of the extended test period was to ensure that the locomotives were mechanically capable of withstanding the tractive-effort levels that the software allowed them to produce. In April 2006, GE conducted an extensive inspection of the trucks and traction motors of unit 500. It found no problems; and on April 20, 2006, it notified CSXT that the HTE software could be installed on other units.

CSXT had intended to install the software on all of its "heavy" AC4400CWs; and on April 21, 2006, the company decided that, as the units were configured with the software, they would be reclassified from CW44AC to CW44AH to reflect the increased tonnage ratings that could be assigned to them once they received HTE software. Since then, all of the "heavy" AC4400CWs have received the software upgrades and, as a result, been reclassified.

In other words, the purpose behind the "H" classification is to differentiate between units with preexisting tonnage ratings and units with software-related increased tonnage ratings, not between "heavy" units and standard-weight units.

Jay Potter wrote: The primary test units for this software were AC4400CWs 500 and 504. This consist was assigned to Mountain Subdivision helper service from November 2004 into March 2006.

Na man, the 500 was assigned to the Cumberland Shops for that period! Just kidding, but it seemed like it was always there and they were constantly playing around with it, I guess they did finally get it right though.

As for the H designation I think you are going to make me eat my words here Jay. Yeah I'll admitt to it. I talked to a guy the other day about it and he pretty much confirmed what you presented in your post about the software on the H units. It also hit me while he was explaining this to me that it does kind of make sense that only the CW44's have the H designation, while the CW60AC's, which weigh the same, don't. Same goes for the ES44DC's as well. By the way if any body has one of the CSX loco shop books that list all the loco specs that should answer pretty much any of the remaining questions, the newest one that I have is from 05. I think that we should all appriciate the way we can constructively work together on these forums. Thanks again Jay.

As for the 80MAC's, I'd have to put my guess with you cr4ever in that they are probably up there for testing as I can't remember the last time that many of them weren't in the DC area at once.

Scooter

The sad thing about those CW44AH's is that they get thrown into intermodal service up here routinely. It seems pretty pointless to use a specialized unit like the CW44AH on a 2000' van train running 60 MPH.