First CSX Tier 4 ET44AC starts mainline testing NEWSWIRE

ERWIN, Tenn. – After leaving General Electric’s production plant in Erie, Pa., last week, CSX Transportation’s first Tier 4 compliant ET44AC is now en route to the railroad’s Erwin yard. CSX ET44AH No. 3251 was trailing on mixed freight CSX Q696 near Johnson City, Tenn., on Monday.

Sources close to the railroad tell Trains News Wire the locomotive is en route to Erwin for testing on the railroad’s former Clinchfield territory. The locomotive will be used in heavy haul service on the railroad’s Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin and Spartanburg, S.C.

It is unknown how long the locomotive will undergo testing before being released system wide.

CSXT No. 3251 is the first CSX Tier 4 ET44AH to be released from GE’s plant in Erie. No. 3250 was seen on GE’s test track in primer paint last month. One of the most noticeable external differences among the new Tier 4 locomotives designated as ET44AH models is a large, flared radiator section at the rear.

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