The six-axle locomotive has been equipped by NRE with a remanufactured 2460kW 645E3-AR10-D78s extended DB propulsion platform and NRE's NForce microprocessor, traction control card and independent axle control modules. As a result NRE says the locomotive is achieving a tractive effort of 33-34%.

NRE says any three or four-axle mainline or shunting locomotive with dc traction motors can be modified in this way, and claims that its independent axle control system will increase adhesion by 50% compared with a Dash 2 control system.

BNSF has tested the locomotive at its Galesburg hump yard in Illinois and was able to shunt the same tonnage over the hump using the modified locomotive and only one remote-controlled locomotive instead of requiring three locomotives.