MTH 20-21664-1 U.S. Army 3GS21B Genset Diesel Engine #6503

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Known also as an Ultra Low Emissions Locomotive (ULEL), the GenSet engine was the brainchild of Mike Iden of the Union Pacific. Looking to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, Iden envisioned a diesel locomotive with multiple engine/generator sets, each of which would turn on only when needed. Working with diesel builder and remanufacturer National Railway Equipment, Iden created an experimental prototype that proved its worth in 2005 and spawned a new type of road switcher – the ultimate “smart” locomotive.

Today’s NRE 3GS-21B – 3 Genset, 2100 horsepower, B-truck (4 wheels) – is perhaps the perfect marriage of heavy machinery and computers. Each of its three 700-horsepower GenSets turns on only when a microprocessor senses it’s needed. At idle (which is a majority of the time for a switcher), only one engine runs, and even that turns off after a certain period of inactivity. Unlike traditional railroad diesels that require an elaborate startup procedure, the Cummins diesels used in GenSets are based on a truck engine design that can be started up instantly. When the locomotive is under load, the second and third GenSets power up and down as needed. The result is a locomotive that delivers fuel savings of 40% and more, compared with traditional yard and road switchers, and an 80% reduction in noxious emissions. No wonder that many GenSet purchases have been funded with government grants targeted at making the air more breathable.

Software also enables a GenSet engine to work longer and harder. Its computer tracks the running time on each engine-generator set and evens out the wear on the locomotive’s three units – each of which is skid-mounted and can be changed out in less than six hours if necessary. The 3GS-21B has unusually high tractive effort for its horsepower because a microprocessor controls wheel slip by reducing power to individual traction motors – rather than a whole truck as on older wheel-slip prevention systems. This feature has enabled some customers to do the same work with fewer locomotives. And, like the M.T.H. DCS system, the 3GS-21B has software that can be upgraded over the Internet.

In 2017, these Proto-Sound 3.0 equipped NRE “Engines of Change” feature the superb level of detail you expect in a Premier model, as well as Cummins diesel recordings from an actual 3GS-21B and, like the prototype, the sound of additional GenSets coming on line as you advance the throttle. If you’re running the latest low-emissions EMD and GE diesels on your main line, you’ll surely want a GenSet or two for your branch line or yard.
 

Features:

• Intricately Detailed, Durable ABS Body
• Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank
• Metal Chassis
• Metal Handrails and Horn
• Metal Body Side Grilles
• Detachable Snow Plow
• (2) Handpainted Engineer Cab Figures
• Authentic Paint Scheme
• Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
• O Scale Kadee-Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads
• Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting
• Directionally Controlled Constant Voltage LED Headlights
• Lighted LED Cab Interior Light
• Illuminated LED Number Boards
• (2) Precision Flywheel-Equipped Motors
• Operating ProtoSmoke Diesel Exhaust
• Onboard DCC/DCS Decoder
• Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
• Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
• 1:48 Scale Proportions
• Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring Freight Yard Proto-Effects
• Unit Measures: 15 5/8” x 4 1/8” x 2 5/8”
• Operates On O-31 Curves 

Diesel DCC Features

• F0 Head/Tail light
• F1 Bell
• F2 Horn
• F3 Start-up/Shut-down
• F4 PFA
• F5 Lights (except head/tail)
• F6 Master Volume
• F7 Front Coupler
• F8 Rear Coupler
• F9 Forward Signal
• F10 Reverse Signal
• F11 Grade Crossing
• F12 Smoke On/Off
• F13 Smoke Volume
• F14 Idle Sequence 3
• F15 Idle Sequence 2
• F16 Idle Sequence 1
• F17 Extended Start-up
• F18 Extended Shut-down
• F19 Rev Up
• F20 Rev Down
• F21 One Shot Doppler
• F22 Coupler Slack
• F23 Coupler Close
• F24 Single Horn Blast
• F25 Engine Sounds
• F26 Brake Sounds
• F27 Cab Chatter
• F28 Feature Reset 

3GS21B Genset Diesel Engine With Proto-Sound 3.0 (Hi-Rail Wheels) – U.S. Army

Cab No. 6503

• Roadname: U.S. Army
• Product Item Number: 20-21664-1
• Catalog: FK 2022 All Scales
• Product Line: Premier
• Scale:  O Scale
• Delivery Status:  OCT. 2022

This product is compatible with all O Gauge 3-Rail track systems including those systems offered by Atlas and Gargraves and Lionel and Ross Custom Switches.