I Cut a ScaleTrains Dash 9 in Half! (AC44C6M Build Video)

How To Build an Norfolk Southern AC44C6M
Hey y'all, here's a video following the progress of my latest project, a HO Scale AC44C6M! The prototype locomotive is the product of a Norfolk Southern rebuild program, which upgrades older NS Dash 9s with a new cab and electrical cabinet, new trucks (AC traction motors) , and various other enhancements.
The model is a ScaleTrains NS Dash 9 paired with the cab of a Scaletrains NS Tier 4 Gevo. The sound is stock from the factory, which is a new ESU Loksound v5.0 decoder!
Thanks for watching.
Josh

[@sceu25]

Phil Swift: I SAWED THIS AC446CM IN HALF AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER ONLY USING FLEX TAPE!

[@AJDeere]

Josh Swift

[@neooooo6127]

AJ Deere T680 no

[@damiankrabill]

Easy just use flex tape! lol now it is the flex tape express! lol

[@ValleySubRailfan4643]

@@damiankrabill just put a decal over flex tape and waaaalaaa

[@westmorelandcountyfiresire4947]

XDDDDD

[@RyanBruno24]

I really love how it turned out but also found out the scale trains plans sometime in the future to make a NS AC44C6M so can’t wait for that.

[@FECironhorsepro]

I can't wait either. And I can't wait especially for FEC. That's a railroad I railfan.

[@billkintzel2789]

Josh God has given you an incredible talent. Always enjoy seeing your work.

[@FlatRockCustomModels]

Thanks Bill! Appreciate the kind words :) -Josh

[@BenMatchett]

Scaletrains has said that they are doing these locomotives as well.

[@maxim430]

Josh has no patience tho

[@ChrisTheDoc]

One for the price of two.

[@maxim430]

@@ChrisTheDoc thats the spirit

[@nsmodeler24]

I saw that! Of course, I saw it after I already started. Haha but also as mentioned, I was impatient. Thanks for the heads up though!

[@joshuawilliams8024]

@@nsmodeler24 you to ask Shane if he can use your model for his announcement of the AC44C6M's

[@StationRailfan]

The 4184 was just released today and looks just like this model. Nice job NS!

[@theconnecticutrailfan17]

I love that horn!!

[@norbertdx]

Back in the day I used to kit bash anything I'd see on the road. I made my SDP45 from an Athearn SDP40 as it suited me.

[@nsmodeler24]

It's fun to make an engine that isn't commercially available and that most others don't have! The SDP45 sounds like a neat build! I always liked the look of those engines.

[@geac9100]

Send it in! The management might go for it! Squeeky wheel gets the grease.

[@garynugent4400]

WOW MAN!!!! Yeah, I'd mail the some pics lol why not? Great work I LOVE it!!!!

[@samraedeker8002]

I like the video, and the updated engine turned out just out fine. Have a great week.

[@ontariorail1251]

This guy’s skills are on a whole new level when it comes to kitbashing.

[@disturbed1954]

Job well done Josh! I thought I was going to die when I saw starting to preform surgery there on a new model but all turned out well. Thanks for sharing!

[@nsmodeler24]

Haha thanks David! Hope y'all are doing well! -Josh

[@PeterCPRail8748]

Fantastic kit bash!

[@joshuawilliams8024]

Scaletrains are actually going to do these locos Peter so they are going to announced later this year

[@mikepasquale7415]

That thing is beautiful buddy. Very nice!

[@bnsfbandit9807]

That would be so cool if NS would do that! It would kinda be like a NS Modeler heritage unit!

[@NorfolkSouthernProductions]

That looks really great I never seen a black HH Logo NS AC44C6M in Ho scale

[@GSMRFan]

Great looking model 👍

[@dylanruppert4547]

"and we'll keep chuggin along!" as your working on a GE lmao

[@nsmodeler24]

LOL unintentional, but looking back it fits too perfectly.

[@jasonellis4139]

Genius 👍🏿💯😉💜 amazing work Josh.

[@returnedgoods]

awersome railroad I appreciate your work

[@peidmontdivisionproduction5406]

Don’t forget that ns sd60e’s are rebuilds to!

[@twiztedmowers2]

Great stuff. Love those c6ms.

[@mgr_video_productions]

Awesome build! Nicely done.

[@rosannecoffman1933]

Terrific job young man!!

[@ALL-bj7mj]

superbly done!!!! I remember in 1991 or 1992 when Kato ran the SD40 for the very first time, my dad bought 3...….he wanted me to model 2 CNWs and 1 CGW.....oh man I was sssssoooooo nervous making the first cut to remove the dynamic hatch to replace it with a non-dynamic athearn SD40-2 hatch.....back then it was a 100.00 locomotive....I was used to 20.00 athearn locomotives....

[@versekustommodels7386]

Cool work man! I have been wanting to rebuild 5 Kato Dash 9s into AC44C4Ms, yup the BNSF variant. I can neither get my hands on the specific GEVO shells nor can I get the C4 truck side frames. I know I will eventually get them so until then I have the 5 undecorated ATSF config Dash 9s stored. Once again, good job man!👍🏽

[@donavonrobbins1908]

Yes to the gloss paint! Every picture you see of new locos, they are glossy. It's very easy for a guy that likes to weather, to dull them out.

[@RailfanS1]

According to NSdash9.com the real 4184 was released from Erie yesterday (4/19/19).

[@jaystanley5351]

Great job.

[@mechagodzillarodan]

Nice Bash!

[@UPtrainguy76]

Great job!

[@mr.boomer8794]

Neat! But I think i just about did the Homer Simpson scream when I saw the title lol

[@hpgaming9293]

Csx

[@mr.boomer8794]

@@hpgaming9293 what?

[@everettrailfan]

*AHHH*

[@mr.boomer8794]

@@everettrailfan D'oh!

[@michaelmcdougall4527]

Hello 👋 I Love you’re innovative Modeling and Great Example you set forYoung and Old Modelers alike Thanks C&OGuy

[@nsmodeler24]

Thanks Michael! Just passing along what others have been kind enough to share with me and teach me in the past. :) Josh

[@terrellhoward5231]

Sweeeeeet, you're the man.

[@BALD8BIL]

Wow excellent job

[@jacobtrumpore5752]

Man, my nephew pulled all those detail parts off without anything but his bare hands, he’s 3 by the way, I was able to put just about everything back though.

[@chuckchristian2059]

I wish I had a good layout like you guys have

[@TimothyRogersRailfanning]

Nice job!

[@benlahrman4149]

Love the UTLX tank cars. I found some near Chicago in service if interested in seeing real life photos of cars in action.

[@lhsboyproductions3446]

Don,t clickbait Josh :D And awesome job on the model :) Thumbs up! Greetings from Poland :)

[@NorthernOhioRailroadAction]

Great Video Keep up the great work

[@thatfishingkidthatdoesmore4221]

im a train filmer so ye its fun got a emd gp38-2 ns model ho scale love it

[@garrinhatfield40]

Nice that's awsome josh

[@ModelRailroading]

I think that would be great to email NS and ask them to be sure to paint there new loco the same as you did. I really like the ground lights.

[@BB_Rail]

The Nearly Historical Railroad hahahahaha good luck!

[@nsmodeler24]

Haha not sure where I would even begin, but I'll see what I can do just for kicks.

[@KCDash4400cw]

I saw a northfolk southern sd60 on my 5th grade field trip to the Lewis and Clark museum 5/10/19

[@nsmodeler24]

Thats awesome man!

[@thecanadianrailfan9321]

“I sawed this train in half, but with the power of flex tape I put it back together!”

[@railfangraham4182]

I think you should do this again but with a permanent primer cab!

[@palmettostaterailfan7019]

Nice engine

[@placercountyrailvideos8628]

You probably just made a pre production sample of the AC44C6M for them

[@NSReadingLineRailfan]

Ok so what’s the trick to popping off the number boards?

[@almostkentish3042]

And repaired it using only flex tape.

[@johnrobertfox7775]

Ah yes ! kit bashing , have you ever tried an NS 9 40-C (top hat) beautiful locomotive ! I did and they are beautiful ! I built 4 NS And one SP ! I know SP did not have them but it looks good ! SP LIVES !

[@nsmodeler24]

I have! I built a "top hat" from an MTH Dash 9. Would love to see some pictures of your SP C40-9! If you'd be willing to share, shoot me an email at [e-mail]. Josh

[@MBTAMoreRailfan]

COOL!!

[@positionlightproductions6187]

search results went from 0 to 100 real fast

[@3006USMC]

A kitbash so crazy you gotta a SUB !

[@nsmodeler24]

Thanks for the sub!

[@Hunter_Dawso]

Looks great. Side note: your 4184 beat the real one into service. The real 4184 (GE Dash 9-44CW 8914) is still undergoing rebuilding in Erie, Pennsylvania. Also all the AC44C6M rebuilds have retained their steel bells whereas the model here has the E-bell. Love the work though. Just a few notes about the real unit compared to your example. Information from nsdash9.com Update: I just saw the end of your video and I saw why you numbered it the way you did. Neat idea. I’d probably still replace the bell on the model and also the Erie/Fort Worth units have a smaller logo (same size as those found on the GEVOs) but other than that, it’s pretty much dead on with the real C6Ms.

[@richardcolemanjr3749]

A company called CMR Products makes shells of the AC44C6M & SD70ACU. Also I think a company called Pacific NorthWest Rail makes a SD70ACC shell also. Athearn could do the SD70 rebuilds in their Genesis line.

[@SailorMoonRailfan]

I’ve got Athearn ATSF Dash 9 & UP AC44 locomotive kits

[@StevenKCRailfan]

Awesome Custom AC44C6M! My favorite NS Rebuilt

[@stetsnw]

Man we need Scale Trains to come out with AC44S as in AC4400CWS

[@Railroader_]

Interchangeable parts at their finest !! Im really surprised you didn't do the "mane" scheme in black or blue. Also u need to get started on NS 8520 !!!

[@nsmodeler24]

I did 4001 in the past and thought about it this time! However, I always like modeling what we see. The majority what what I see on the rails is plain NS black, so I thought I would keep it prototypical and do a plain one! If I do another thought, I'll definitely consider it!

[@ModelRR3102]

Well Josh, NS 8914 is slated to become the NS 4184 once rebuilt and it's getting rebuilt at Erie.

[@nsmodeler24]

Thanks for the info!

[@jasonboche]

"Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and cutting a ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter in half the bravest thing I ever heard of come over a set of earphones." :) Well done sir.

[@MrHunt916]

Awesome job Josh. Too bad ST just announced they will be offering NS AC44C4M in BNSF and AC44C6M in NS!

[@nsmodeler24]

Yes. Haha seems to be how the timing usually works out!

[@jessedax7333]

Awesome job! Great skill! I would not even know how to install the ground light! 😂 ... seriously.... how do you install the ground light ? 😨

[@nsmodeler24]

Hey Jesse! Thanks for watching. And it was a first for me as well, but I'll make a how to video next time I'm home. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

[@Midway_CV-41]

I think ill still do the 3d printed shell on a kato chassis

[@mikedeberg6326]

Hey Josh! Fantastic job! Curious if you had any other shots inside the body where you glued the spliced sections together?

[@nsmodeler24]

Hi Mike, unfortunately I didn't get any shots of that. I ended up gluing it (just as it was shown with the clamp). I used plastic cement and the bond was actually so strong that I did not fee any need for reinforcing it with bracing, so I opted not to add it. Hope this helps. -Josh

[@reelfishinhere8866]

Scale trains a good train

[@newqlar]

Sacrilege!!! Heresy!!! … I LOVE IT!!! What are you waiting for Scaletrains!?

[@iftheytakeyourgunsgiveemyo7057]

Really cool josh! Could you do that in o scale?

[@fostoriadistrictrailfan3907]

2:29 R.I.P. cab of NS ET44AC 3679

[@nathandelay]

cool

[@garrinhatfield40]

Hey Josh do you know if scaletrains are going to make them in their stock because it would be a great model

[@D.O.T.D.]

Evidence that NSmodeler24 is the lead engineer of NS Juniata Shops

[@railfanhunter1968]

Josh when will the next locomotive be for sell

[@BAS19.6]

To show you the power of flex tape, I cut this dash 9 in half!

[@tylerkinloch1263]

I am going to do 2 Canadian Pacific AC4400CWM soon out of 2 Kato CP AC4400CW's and I have been trying to find some GE nose headlight safety cabs. I am thinking of getting 2 shapeways cabs. I have a question about the tier 4 cab from scale trains, can you just order GE safety cabs from them? Amazing work as always!

[@nsmodeler24]

Hi Tyler, those will be great projects! I would love to see them when you're done. Unfortunately, I don't think you can, but it couldn't hurt to ask. If I had some, I would pass them on, but all of the ones that I have are high headlight. Best of luck with the build!

[@georgiacentralsouthernrr3170]

What u gonna do with the leftover shells

[@railfangraham4182]

Nice video and first! Lol

[@a-dog8075]

So whats the difference between the 2 cabs

[@Train115]

Song at 4:13? I used to hear it all the time but I don't know what it is.

[@pacificproductionsofficial]

Did you repair it with only flex tape?

[@pacificproductionsofficial]

K J I was joking

[@canadianlocomotivelogistics]

Can I send an Kato SD80MAC unit to you to get fixed up and LOK sound installed ? I started the project and then it got shelves for ten years.

[@SpencerBaum]

Instructions unclear, my locomotive now has two cabs

[@chuckchristian2059]

What scale is that

[@josephpichardo6770]

What do you use to cut threw the plastic, I want to put a EMD SD70MAC cab on a GE C44-9W.

[@nsmodeler24]

I used an exacto knife for some pieces and a fine hobby saw for others

[@nsmodeler24]

And that sounds like a great project! I actually put a GE cab on an EMD locomotive a long time ago. It was a fun and unique project.

[@josephpichardo6770]

Thanks

[@josephpichardo6770]

I plan to put a GE widecab on a SD40-2, and it is very unique projects.

[@donavonrobbins1908]

Ok, now how about an ES 44 retrofitted with an old dash 9 cab? Norfolk Southerns disciplinary program to punish employees?

[@SiGUYE]

And this video should be rated R. It's just to graphic.

[@Ryan-vq8wn]

Was that the new rivet counter?

[@nsmodeler24]

Yes it was.

[@Ryan-vq8wn]

How does it compare to the sd40 that you sold me sound wise? That’s was very impressive

[@giggles7104]

6:49 song name?

[@Nismo0050]

Couldn’t help but notice a corrosive placard tank car directly behind the locomotive 😂 big no-no in real life

[@nsmodeler24]

I'll be sure to get on the shop-manager for that. haha

[@bnsfwarbonnet]

I sawed this train in half

[@Midway_CV-41]

And repaired with only flex tape

[@chuckchristian2059]

Why would you cut your engine in half for

[@TheTrainFan]

I would never trust myself to do any of this...

[@raoulcruz4404]

TheTrainFanMan You can buy cheap diesel shells and practice.

[@NOVARailandWeatherEnthusiast]

TheTrainFanMan same. I’d probably cut a hole in the cab or something lmao

[@southernpennsyrailfan8579]

WHYYYY!?

[@seankolker]

You gave skill!!! I don’t...

[@markfallon104]

When you quit kissing so much Scale Trains butt and stop with the attempt to get views with click bait titles, let me know so I can return to watch serious content.

[@jasonadams7991]

How is it clickbait lol? He literally did what the title stated.

[@rimodeler7963]

Hi Josh: Fantastic job of kitbashing this locomotive. You are a very talented model railroader and your work is outstanding! I really like and appreciate your videos ........ thank you! Mike

[@nsmodeler24]

Hi Mike, that is very kind of you. Thank you! I'm just passing along what others have been kind enough to teach and share with me. Thanks for watching! -Josh