Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The General Electric C40-9 was a first generation Dash 9 built specifically for Norfolk Southern who requested their first order without wide cabs — and was the only railroad to do so. Nicknamed "Top Hats" by railfans, these locomotives were in service from 1995 until 2015-18 when they were gradually retired and sent into the AC44C6M rebuild program. None remain in service today or have been preserved, so we look back on the fond memories of witnessing these locomotives trackside.
The General Electric C40-9 was a first generation Dash 9 built specifically for Norfolk Southern who requested their first order without wide cabs — and was the only railroad to do so. Nicknamed "Top Hats" by railfans, these locomotives were in service from 1995 until 2015-18 when they were gradually retired and sent into the AC44C6M rebuild program. None remain in service today or have been preserved, so we look back on the fond memories of witnessing these locomotives trackside.
