The GE C44-9W is a 4,400 hp

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

 (3,273 kW) diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 built by GE Transportation Systems

GE Transportation Systems

GE Transportation, formerly known as GE Rail, is a division of General Electric. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generation industries. It is based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Locomotives are assembled at the Erie plant, while engine...

 of Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

. Keeping in tradition with GE's locomotive series nicknames beginning with the "Dash 7" of the 1970s, the C44-9W was dubbed the Dash 9 upon its debut in 1993. The design has since proven popular with North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n railroads. Because of more stringent emissions requirements that came into effect in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on January 1, 2005, the Dash 9-44CW has been replaced in production by the GE ES44DC.

Many North American railroads have ordered the C44-9W. They were originally ordered by Chicago & North Western Railway, Santa Fe

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...

, BNSF

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

, CSX

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

, Southern Pacific

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

, Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

, BC Rail, and Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

. Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

 purchased the very similar Dash 9-40CW

GE Dash 9-40CW

The GE Dash 9-40CW is a diesel locomotive that was built by GE Transportation Systems of Erie, Pennsylvania between January 1996 and September 2004. All 1,090 units were built for Norfolk Southern Railway, as road numbers 8889 to 9978. Part of the "Dash 9" locomotive series, these units are...

s.

BNSF Dash 9 #4723 is featured as a drivable locomotive in Microsoft Train Simulator

Microsoft Train Simulator

Microsoft Train Simulator is a train simulator for Microsoft Windows, released in July 2001 and developed by UK based Kuju Entertainment, and is available for purchase through Amazon.com.-Gameplay:...

, and the actual Dash 9 has stickers on its cab noting this.

BNSF Dash 9s are also featured as drivable locomotives in RailWorks

RailWorks

RailWorks is a train simulation game. Developed by Rail Simulator Developments. It is a successor to Rail Simulator, and was released online on 12 June 2009 and in stores on 3 July 2009....

.

Original owners

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...	100	600-699	Most now in service with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. Some have been patch-renumbered or relabeled.
BC Rail	14	4641-4654	4641-4644 are model C44-9WL
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway	1697	700-799, 960-1123, 4000-4199, 4300-5532	5530-5532 were originally warranty protection units 5841-5843;
Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....	228	2500-2522WL,2523-2727CW,2958CW	2500-2522 are model C44-9WL,2523-2696 are model C44-9CW,2697-2726 are operated by Illinois Central Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company	130	8601-8730	Most have been repainted or patch-renumbered into the Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... 's rosters. Two Dash 9 locomotives, #8646 and #8701, remain in service on the UP with full C&NW paint and reporting marks.
Estrada de Ferro Carajás (Brazil)	67	801-867	model C44-9WM
Ferrovia Norte do Brasil S/A(Brazil)	50	9001-9050	model C44-9WM
Fortescue Metals Group Fortescue railway The Fortescue Railway, owned and operated by the Fortescue Metals Group , is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. It is the only railway line the group operates in the Pilbara, having opened in 2008...  (Australia)	15	0001-0015	Fitted with ECP brakes from New York Air Brake
General Electric (testbed)	1	905
Hamersley Iron Hamersley Iron Pilbara Iron is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Rio Tinto Group, that manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio and three Japanese steel companies Mitsui Iron Ore...  / Pilbara Iron (Australia)	62	7053-7098, 9404-9409, 9428-9434, 9470-9472
Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River...	11	404-414
Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....	101	8100-8200	Most have been patch-renumbered or repainted into the Union Pacific locomotive rosters.
Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....	40	9700-9739