General Motors Electro-Motive Division
Encyclopedia
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., also referred to as "EMD", is a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation
, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
, that designs, manufactures and sells diesel-electric locomotives and diesel power engines
worldwide under the Electro-Motive Diesel brand
. EMD has the world's largest installed base of diesel-electric locomotives and offers the world's most extensive range of locomotive products in the rail and transit industry. EMD holds approximately 30 percent of the market for diesel-electric locomotives in North America, second to its only competitor, GE Transportation Systems
, which holds the remaining 70 percent share of the North American market.
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. traces its roots to the Electro-Motive Engineering Corporation, founded in 1922. In 1930, General Motors Corporation purchased the Winton Engine Co. and Winton's primary customer of gasoline engines, Electro-Motive Corporation (a gasoline-electric car manufacturer), combining the two to form GM's Electro-Motive Division (EMD) on January 1, 1941. In 2005, GM sold EMD to Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Berkshire Partners LLC
and certain related parties, which formed Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., to facilitate the purchase. On August 2, 2010, Progress Rail Services Corporation completed the purchase of Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. from Greenbriar, Berkshire, et al. making Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation.
EMD's headquarters, engineering facilities and parts manufacturing operations are located in La Grange, Illinois
, United States. EMD's final assembly operations are located in London, Ontario
, Canada. EMD operates a traction motor maintenance, rebuild and overhaul facility in San Luis Potosí
, Mexico, and plans to begin assembling locomotives in the United States in late 2011 at a plant located in Muncie, Indiana
.
As of 2008, EMD employed approximately 3,260 people worldwide.
, in 1922. In 1923, Electro-Motive Engineering Company sold only two gasoline-powered rail motor cars, one to the Chicago Great Western
and the other to the Northern Pacific
. Electro-Motive Engineering Company subcontracted the body construction to St. Louis Car Company
and the prime mover to Winton Engine Company
. The motorcars were delivered in 1924 and worked well, fortunate for the fledgling company, because the sales were conditional on satisfactory performance. In 1925, the company changed its name to Electro-Motive Company (EMC) and entered full-scale production, selling 27 railcars.
While hardly ever is anyone the absolute inventor of any system, Harold L. Hamilton most probably comes close to being the "father of the diesel locomotive". In an evolutionary career that led him into that role, he was without doubt the diesel-electric's guiding coordinator. Starting his railroading career as a fireman on the Southern Pacific Railroad
, he became a locomotive engineer on both passenger and freight trains. He eventually became a manager with the Florida East Coast Railway
. Upon leaving railroading for an automotive marketing position in Denver, Hamilton, aware of early electric propulsion experiments, the needs of railroads, and his most recent exposure to heavy vehicles, recognized and integrated the idea of more efficient (over steam) internal combustion power with railroading. Financing himself, he quit his truck sales position, set up shop in a hotel with his partner and a designer, and created a product in 1923 that eventually became the successful version of diesel-electric railway propulsion.
In 1930, General Motors, seeing the opportunity to develop the diesel engine, purchased the Winton Engine Company, and after checking the Winton Engine Company's books, decided to purchase its primary customer, becoming the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). Advancing from railcars, EMC began building multi-car diesel
streamliner
s for the Union Pacific Railroad
, among others. By 1935, GM felt confident enough to invest in a new factory on 55th Street in McCook, Illinois
, west of Chicago, which remains the corporate headquarters. By the end of the 1930s, EMC had a diesel engine
powerful and reliable enough for locomotive use.
The 567
, named for its displacement-per-cylinder of 567 in³ (9.3 L), was a two-cycle (or two-stroke) supercharged engine with overhead camshafts and four exhaust valves per cylinder. It was built in V-6
, V-8
, V-12
and V-16
configurations. The technology was first used in glittering prow-nosed passenger locomotives, but EMC's eye was on freight service. The glamorous passenger services made little money for the railroads, but replacement of steam engines with reliable diesel units could help railroads save money in a money-losing service. It also gave EMD practical experience and future contacts for capturing the ultimate prize: freight service.
The company produced a multiunit freight locomotive demonstrator, the EMD FT
, and began a tour of the continent's railroads to demonstrate it. The tour was a success. Western railroads, in particular, saw that the diesels could free them from dependence on scarce water supplies for steam locomotives. By 1940, EMC was producing a locomotive a day, with 600 in service.
General Motors merged EMC and part of Winton Engine to create the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) on January 1, 1941. All GM locomotives built prior to 1941 were built by EMC. Winton's nonlocomotive products (large submarine, marine, and stationary diesel engines) continued under the title of the Cleveland Diesel Engine Division for another twenty years.
ships, but in 1943, locomotive production regained momentum. More locomotives were needed to haul wartime supplies. The war was, in the end, a godsend for EMD. It was allowed to continue to develop and sell the diesel freight locomotive. Its competitors, principally the American Locomotive Company
(Alco) and the Baldwin Locomotive Works
, were allowed minimal developmental work with diesel road locomotives. They were ordered to produce mainly diesel switchers and steam locomotives to pre-existing designs as fast as possible. This delayed EMD's competition and dealt them a fatal blow. By the end of the war, EMD's diesel production was in full swing, with new passenger EMD E-unit
s and the new improved freight locomotive the EMD F3
following in late 1946. Baldwin Locomotive was crippled by its incorrect belief that people desired travel on trains pulled by steam locomotives. To meet post-war demands, EMD opened another locomotive production facility in 1948 at Cleveland, Ohio.
The story of diesel's conquest of steam is better placed elsewhere, but a combination of factors weakened steam's position and strengthened that of the diesel locomotive, and by the early 1950s, the majority of American railroads had decided to convert. While other builders had entered the diesel locomotive field, whether old steam builders like Baldwin, Alco and Lima
, or newer competitors like Fairbanks-Morse
(also a producer of Navy diesels in the war), EMD's extra years of experience told. Most railroads ordered a few units from several builders in their first, trial purchase, but the second, volume order usually went to EMD. Most of these were sales of its freight F-Unit
platform. The economic arguments for diesel passenger power over steam were a bit shakier than those for freight service, but it hardly mattered— passenger service was more a matter of rolling advertisements and publicity machines than actual profit by this late date.
In 1949, EMD opened a new plant in London, Ontario
, Canada, which was operated by subsidiary General Motors Diesel
(GMD), producing existing EMD as well as unique GMD designs for the Canadian domestic and export markets. That same year, EMD introduced a new, revolutionary locomotive, the EMD GP7
. Called a road switcher
type, its design was that of an expanded diesel switcher
, with the diesel engine, main generator and other equipment in a covered, but easily removed, hood (thus the other name for these locomotives, hood units). This hood being narrower than the locomotive, the crew had visibility in both directions from a cab placed near one end. The structural strength in the road-switcher was in the frame, rather than in a carbody as in earlier locomotives. The maintenance ease of this new type of locomotive won over the railroads quickly. Nearly all locomotives produced in the United States for domestic use since the 1960s have been hood units.
EMD's competition was unable to keep pace. Lima failed first, merging with Baldwin and engine builder Hamilton in Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, but the Baldwin-led company did not endure. Fairbanks-Morse, after producing a series of innovative locomotives that sold poorly, left the locomotive field (the company remains in business, in its original markets). Then, only Alco remained, aided by the industrial might of General Electric
, which manufactured the electrical gear used in Alco diesel-electric locomotives. GE
entered the locomotive market in the early 1950s with the introduction of gas turbine-electric locomotives. By the early 1960s, GE was marketing its own line of diesel-electrics in its Universal series, such as the U-25C
.
The 567 engine was continuously improved and upgraded. The original six-cylinder 567 produced 600 HP, the V-12 1000 HP, and the V-16 1,350 HP. EMD began turbocharging
the 567 around 1958; the final version, the 567D3A (built from October, 1963, to about January, 1966) produced 2,500 HP in its V-16 form.
The year 2004 saw CSX Transportation
take order of the first SD70ACe locomotives, which were designed to be more reliable, fuel efficient, and maintainable than its predecessor AC locomotive, the SD70MAC. The model also met the stringent EPA
Tier 2 emission requirements using the two-stroke 710 diesel engine.
In 2005, Norfolk Southern took the first delivery of the new SD70M-2, the successor of the older SD70M locomotive. Like its sister locomotive, the SD70ACe, the SD70M-2 meets the stringent EPA Tier 2 requirements and uses the same engine. EMD is certified to be in conformance with ISO 9001:2000
and ISO 14001:2004
.
In June 2004, The Wall Street Journal
published an article indicating EMD was being put up for sale. On January 11, 2005, Reuters
published a story indicating a sale to "two private U.S. equity groups" was likely to be announced "this week". Confirmation came the following day, with a press release issued by General Motors, stating it had agreed to sell EMD to a partnership led by Greenbriar Equity Group LLC and Berkshire Partners
LLC. The newly spun-off company was called Electro-Motive Diesel, Incorporated, retaining the EMD name. The sale closed on April 4, 2005.
On June 1, 2010, Caterpillar Inc.
announced it had agreed to buy Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. from Greenbriar, Berkshire et al. for $820 million. Caterpillar's wholly owned subsidiary, Progress Rail Services Corporation
, completed the transaction on August 2, 2010, making Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation. Although Caterpillar announced that John S. Hamilton would continue in his roles of president and CEO of EMD after the close of the transaction, Mr. Hamilton left EMD for unspecified reasons in late August 2010.
SD70ACe
#4092, was rolled out.
, which reduced wheel and track wear. In the 1990s, locomotive power increased to 6,000 HP(4.5 MW) from a single, sixteen-cylinder 265 H prime mover in the EMD SD90MAC-H
locomotive.
In 1999, Union Pacific placed the largest single order for diesel locomotives in North American railroad history when they ordered 1,000 units of the EMD SD70M.
In 1966, EMD introduced the enlarged 645 engine
. Power ratings were 1,500 HP V-12 nonturbocharged, 1,500 HP V-8 turbocharged, 2,300 HP V-12 turbocharged, 2,000 HP V-16 nonturbocharged, and 3,000 HP V-16 turbocharged. EMD also built a turbocharged V-20 that produced 3,600 HP for the SD-45 that was their first twenty cylinder engine. The final variant of the sixteen cylinder 645 (the 16-645F) produced 3,500 HP.
In 1972, EMD introduced modular control systems with the Dash-2 line; the EMD SD40-2
became one of the most successful diesel locomotive designs in history. A total of 3,945 SD40-2 units were built; if the earlier SD40 class locomotives are included, the total increases to 5,752 units. The vast majority remain in service on North American railroads. In 1984, EMD's control systems on locomotives changed to microprocessors, with computer-controlled wheel slip prevention, among other systems.
EMD introduced their new 710 engine
in 1984 with the 60 Series locomotives, although they continued to offer the 645 in certain models (such as the 50 Series) until 1988. The 710 was produced as a twelve-, sixteen-, and twenty-cylinder engine and continues to be in production.
After the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1989, EMD decided to consolidate all locomotive production at the GMD plant in London, Ontario
, a development which ended locomotive production at the McCook, Illinois (commonly called the La Grange plant, after its postal address) in 1991, although the Illinois facility continues to produce engines and generators.
. Instead of completely replacing the 710 series engine, the H-engine continues to be concurrently produced with the 710.
A number of foreign companies signed agreements with EMD to produce EMD-branded locomotives in markets outside the United States. Some companies took EMD designs and merely built them locally, while others used EMD engines and traction components in locomotive bodies of their own design, often to fit local railroad loading gauge
or axle load
requirements.
Licensees included the Swedish manufacturing company NOHAB
, which sold units to many European operators from the 1950s to the 1970s, and Australia's Clyde Engineering
, which used EMD components in locally designed locomotives beginning in the 1950s.
Progress Rail Services Corporation
Progress Rail Services Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. since 2006, is a supplier of railroad and transit system products and services headquartered in Albertville, Alabama, United States...
, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
, that designs, manufactures and sells diesel-electric locomotives and diesel power engines
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
worldwide under the Electro-Motive Diesel brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
. EMD has the world's largest installed base of diesel-electric locomotives and offers the world's most extensive range of locomotive products in the rail and transit industry. EMD holds approximately 30 percent of the market for diesel-electric locomotives in North America, second to its only competitor, 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...
, which holds the remaining 70 percent share of the North American market.
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. traces its roots to the Electro-Motive Engineering Corporation, founded in 1922. In 1930, General Motors Corporation purchased the Winton Engine Co. and Winton's primary customer of gasoline engines, Electro-Motive Corporation (a gasoline-electric car manufacturer), combining the two to form GM's Electro-Motive Division (EMD) on January 1, 1941. In 2005, GM sold EMD to Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Berkshire Partners LLC
Berkshire Partners
Berkshire Partners, the Boston-based private equity firm, has invested in leading mid-sized companies for over twenty-five years through eight investment funds with aggregate capital of $11 billion. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in several areas including retailing, consumer...
and certain related parties, which formed Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., to facilitate the purchase. On August 2, 2010, Progress Rail Services Corporation completed the purchase of Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. from Greenbriar, Berkshire, et al. making Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation.
EMD's headquarters, engineering facilities and parts manufacturing operations are located in La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, United States. EMD's final assembly operations are located in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada. EMD operates a traction motor maintenance, rebuild and overhaul facility in San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Mexico, and plans to begin assembling locomotives in the United States in late 2011 at a plant located in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
.
As of 2008, EMD employed approximately 3,260 people worldwide.
Early years
Harold L. Hamilton and Paul Turner founded the Electro-Motive Engineering Company in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, in 1922. In 1923, Electro-Motive Engineering Company sold only two gasoline-powered rail motor cars, one to the Chicago Great Western
Chicago Great Western Railway
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad...
and the other to the Northern Pacific
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
. Electro-Motive Engineering Company subcontracted the body construction to St. Louis Car Company
St. Louis Car Company
The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887–1973, based in St. Louis, Missouri.-History:...
and the prime mover to Winton Engine Company
Winton Motor Carriage Company
The Winton Motor Carriage Company was a pioneer United States automobile manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Winton was one of the first American companies to sell a motor car.-1896:...
. The motorcars were delivered in 1924 and worked well, fortunate for the fledgling company, because the sales were conditional on satisfactory performance. In 1925, the company changed its name to Electro-Motive Company (EMC) and entered full-scale production, selling 27 railcars.
While hardly ever is anyone the absolute inventor of any system, Harold L. Hamilton most probably comes close to being the "father of the diesel locomotive". In an evolutionary career that led him into that role, he was without doubt the diesel-electric's guiding coordinator. Starting his railroading career as a fireman on the 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....
, he became a locomotive engineer on both passenger and freight trains. He eventually became a manager with the Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
. Upon leaving railroading for an automotive marketing position in Denver, Hamilton, aware of early electric propulsion experiments, the needs of railroads, and his most recent exposure to heavy vehicles, recognized and integrated the idea of more efficient (over steam) internal combustion power with railroading. Financing himself, he quit his truck sales position, set up shop in a hotel with his partner and a designer, and created a product in 1923 that eventually became the successful version of diesel-electric railway propulsion.
In 1930, General Motors, seeing the opportunity to develop the diesel engine, purchased the Winton Engine Company, and after checking the Winton Engine Company's books, decided to purchase its primary customer, becoming the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). Advancing from railcars, EMC began building multi-car diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
streamliner
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
s for 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....
, among others. By 1935, GM felt confident enough to invest in a new factory on 55th Street in McCook, Illinois
McCook, Illinois
McCook is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 254, which is the lowest population of all municipalities in the county. It was named for John J. McCook, a late 19th century director of the Santa Fe Railroad and a former...
, west of Chicago, which remains the corporate headquarters. By the end of the 1930s, EMC had a diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powerful and reliable enough for locomotive use.
The 567
EMD 567
The EMD 567 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This engine, which succeeded Winton's 201-A, was used in EMD's locomotives from 1938 until its replacement in 1966 by the EMD 645. It has a bore of , a stroke of and a displacement of 567 in³ per cylinder...
, named for its displacement-per-cylinder of 567 in³ (9.3 L), was a two-cycle (or two-stroke) supercharged engine with overhead camshafts and four exhaust valves per cylinder. It was built in V-6
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
, V-8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, V-12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
and V-16
V16 engine
A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder...
configurations. The technology was first used in glittering prow-nosed passenger locomotives, but EMC's eye was on freight service. The glamorous passenger services made little money for the railroads, but replacement of steam engines with reliable diesel units could help railroads save money in a money-losing service. It also gave EMD practical experience and future contacts for capturing the ultimate prize: freight service.
The company produced a multiunit freight locomotive demonstrator, the EMD FT
EMD FT
The EMD FT was a diesel-electric locomotive produced between November 1939, and November 1945, by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division . All told 555 cab-equipped A units were built, along with 541 cabless booster B units, for a grand total of 1,096 units. The locomotives were all sold to...
, and began a tour of the continent's railroads to demonstrate it. The tour was a success. Western railroads, in particular, saw that the diesels could free them from dependence on scarce water supplies for steam locomotives. By 1940, EMC was producing a locomotive a day, with 600 in service.
General Motors merged EMC and part of Winton Engine to create the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) on January 1, 1941. All GM locomotives built prior to 1941 were built by EMC. Winton's nonlocomotive products (large submarine, marine, and stationary diesel engines) continued under the title of the Cleveland Diesel Engine Division for another twenty years.
From the 40s to the 60s
World War II temporarily slowed EMD locomotive production; the diesel engines were instead required in NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships, but in 1943, locomotive production regained momentum. More locomotives were needed to haul wartime supplies. The war was, in the end, a godsend for EMD. It was allowed to continue to develop and sell the diesel freight locomotive. Its competitors, principally the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
(Alco) and the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
, were allowed minimal developmental work with diesel road locomotives. They were ordered to produce mainly diesel switchers and steam locomotives to pre-existing designs as fast as possible. This delayed EMD's competition and dealt them a fatal blow. By the end of the war, EMD's diesel production was in full swing, with new passenger EMD E-unit
EMD E-unit
EMD E-units were a line of passenger train diesel locomotives built by the General Motors Electro-Motive Division and its predecessor the Electro-Motive Corporation . Final assembly for all E-units was in La Grange, Illinois. Production ran from May, 1937, to December, 1963. The name E-units...
s and the new improved freight locomotive the EMD F3
EMD F3
The EMD F3 was a , B-B freight- and passenger-hauling diesel locomotive produced between July 1945 and February 1949 by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant...
following in late 1946. Baldwin Locomotive was crippled by its incorrect belief that people desired travel on trains pulled by steam locomotives. To meet post-war demands, EMD opened another locomotive production facility in 1948 at Cleveland, Ohio.
Lima Locomotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line...
, or newer competitors like Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks Morse and Company was a manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, locomotives and industrial supplies until it was merged in 1958...
(also a producer of Navy diesels in the war), EMD's extra years of experience told. Most railroads ordered a few units from several builders in their first, trial purchase, but the second, volume order usually went to EMD. Most of these were sales of its freight F-Unit
EMD F-unit
EMD F-units were a line of Diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario...
platform. The economic arguments for diesel passenger power over steam were a bit shakier than those for freight service, but it hardly mattered— passenger service was more a matter of rolling advertisements and publicity machines than actual profit by this late date.
In 1949, EMD opened a new plant in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada, which was operated by subsidiary General Motors Diesel
General Motors Diesel
General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
(GMD), producing existing EMD as well as unique GMD designs for the Canadian domestic and export markets. That same year, EMD introduced a new, revolutionary locomotive, the EMD GP7
EMD GP7
The EMD GP7 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October, 1949 and May, 1954. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated . The GP7 was offered both with and without control cabs, and...
. Called a road switcher
Road switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...
type, its design was that of an expanded diesel switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
, with the diesel engine, main generator and other equipment in a covered, but easily removed, hood (thus the other name for these locomotives, hood units). This hood being narrower than the locomotive, the crew had visibility in both directions from a cab placed near one end. The structural strength in the road-switcher was in the frame, rather than in a carbody as in earlier locomotives. The maintenance ease of this new type of locomotive won over the railroads quickly. Nearly all locomotives produced in the United States for domestic use since the 1960s have been hood units.
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, which manufactured the electrical gear used in Alco diesel-electric locomotives. GE
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...
entered the locomotive market in the early 1950s with the introduction of gas turbine-electric locomotives. By the early 1960s, GE was marketing its own line of diesel-electrics in its Universal series, such as the U-25C
GE U25C
The U25C was General Electric's first six-axle road switcher intended for the United States domestic market. Launched in September 1963, it remained in production until December 1965. It was replaced by the U28C.-External links:* Sarberenyi, Robert. ...
.
The 567 engine was continuously improved and upgraded. The original six-cylinder 567 produced 600 HP, the V-12 1000 HP, and the V-16 1,350 HP. EMD began turbocharging
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
the 567 around 1958; the final version, the 567D3A (built from October, 1963, to about January, 1966) produced 2,500 HP in its V-16 form.
Present day
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...
take order of the first SD70ACe locomotives, which were designed to be more reliable, fuel efficient, and maintainable than its predecessor AC locomotive, the SD70MAC. The model also met the stringent EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
Tier 2 emission requirements using the two-stroke 710 diesel engine.
In 2005, Norfolk Southern took the first delivery of the new SD70M-2, the successor of the older SD70M locomotive. Like its sister locomotive, the SD70ACe, the SD70M-2 meets the stringent EPA Tier 2 requirements and uses the same engine. EMD is certified to be in conformance with ISO 9001:2000
ISO 9000
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
and ISO 14001:2004
ISO 14000
The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes etc.) negatively affect the...
.
In June 2004, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
published an article indicating EMD was being put up for sale. On January 11, 2005, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
published a story indicating a sale to "two private U.S. equity groups" was likely to be announced "this week". Confirmation came the following day, with a press release issued by General Motors, stating it had agreed to sell EMD to a partnership led by Greenbriar Equity Group LLC and Berkshire Partners
Berkshire Partners
Berkshire Partners, the Boston-based private equity firm, has invested in leading mid-sized companies for over twenty-five years through eight investment funds with aggregate capital of $11 billion. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in several areas including retailing, consumer...
LLC. The newly spun-off company was called Electro-Motive Diesel, Incorporated, retaining the EMD name. The sale closed on April 4, 2005.
On June 1, 2010, Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
announced it had agreed to buy Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. from Greenbriar, Berkshire et al. for $820 million. Caterpillar's wholly owned subsidiary, Progress Rail Services Corporation
Progress Rail Services Corporation
Progress Rail Services Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. since 2006, is a supplier of railroad and transit system products and services headquartered in Albertville, Alabama, United States...
, completed the transaction on August 2, 2010, making Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation. Although Caterpillar announced that John S. Hamilton would continue in his roles of president and CEO of EMD after the close of the transaction, Mr. Hamilton left EMD for unspecified reasons in late August 2010.
Manufacturing and assembly facilities
EMD currently maintains major facilities in LaGrange, Illinois, United States; London, Ontario, Canada; and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. EMD plans to open an additional facility in Muncie, Indiana, United States in late 2011.EMD LaGrange
Since its ground breaking in 1935, the LaGrange facility has been the worldwide headquarters for EMD. In addition to the corporation's administrative offices, LaGrange houses design engineering, emissions testing, rebuild operations, and manufacturing of major components, including prime mover engines, traction alternators, electrical cabinets, and turbochargers. The LaGrange facility includes three main buildings, with over 1200000 square feet (111,483.6 m²) of office and manufacturing space. Ancillary buildings are used to provide maintenance and testing capabilities. EMD LaGrange is ISO 9001:2000 Certified for Quality and ISO 14001 Certified for Environmental Management.EMD London
Opened in 1950 to produce EMD locomotives, the London, Ontario, Canada facility was at times used to produce a variety of products in the General Motors family, including transit buses, earth movers, and military vehicles. Situated on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) site, the EMD London facility includes two main buildings and multiple ancillary buildings with over 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of office and manufacturing space, as well as a locomotive test track. London is the primary site for the assembly, painting and testing of EMD locomotives. The facility also manufactures components, such as locomotive underframes, traction motors, truck assemblies, and locomotive equipment racks. EMD London is ISO 9001:2000 Certified for Quality and ISO 14001 Certified for Environmental Management.EMD San Luis Potosí
On April 14, 2010, Electro-Motive opened a facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico for the maintenance, rebuild, and overhaul of traction motors and other electrical equipment.EMD Muncie
In October 2010, Caterpillar Inc. announced it is investing US$50 million to acquire and to renovate an existing 740000 square feet (68,748.2 m²) building for assembly of EMD branded locomotives and to build a locomotive test track on a 75 acre (0.3035145 km²) site located in Muncie, Indiana. The Muncie facility allows EMD to supply locomotives to publicly funded passenger rail agencies that require their rail equipment to be assembled in the United States. On July 25, 2011, it was announced that production at the facility was planned to begin by the end of the year, with 125 workers having been hired and plans to add more. On October 28, the first locomotive produced at the plant, FerromexFerromex
Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico.-Description:...
SD70ACe
EMD SD70 series
The EMD SD70 is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors beginning in 1992. Over 4000 locomotives in this series have been produced, mostly of the SD70M and SD70MAC models. All locomotives of this series are hood units with C-C trucks...
#4092, was rolled out.
Maintenance and support facilities
EMD also provides maintenance services, technical support, parts inventory, and sales and marketing services from many other locations spread throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, China, India, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Egypt, and South Africa.Locomotives
In the early 1990s, EMD introduced two innovations: the AC induction motor, which increased reliability and tractive effort at low speeds, and the radial steering truckRadial steering truck
A Radial steering truck is a type of bogie used on locomotives. On railroad equipment, "trucks" are the wheel assemblies that the train rides the rails on. Trucks are found on almost all train equipment with the exception of some steam locomotives...
, which reduced wheel and track wear. In the 1990s, locomotive power increased to 6,000 HP(4.5 MW) from a single, sixteen-cylinder 265 H prime mover in the EMD SD90MAC-H
EMD SD90MAC
The EMD SD90MAC is a C-C diesel-electric hood unit locomotive produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It is, with the SD80MAC, one of the largest single-engined locomotives produced by that company, surpassed only by the dual-engined DD series...
locomotive.
In 1999, Union Pacific placed the largest single order for diesel locomotives in North American railroad history when they ordered 1,000 units of the EMD SD70M.
Engines
EMD has produced the following series of engines:- EMD 567EMD 567The EMD 567 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This engine, which succeeded Winton's 201-A, was used in EMD's locomotives from 1938 until its replacement in 1966 by the EMD 645. It has a bore of , a stroke of and a displacement of 567 in³ per cylinder...
— no longer in production; 567AC, 567BC, 567C and 567D engines may be retrofitted with 645 "power assemblies" and other major components, mainly for so-called "life-extension" programs - EMD 645EMD 645The EMD 645 family of diesel engines was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder version powered the 33-19 "Titan" prototype haul truck designed by GM's Terex...
— "E- and F-Engines"; currently in production by request; most 645 major assemblies remain in new production for replacement purposes - EMD 710EMD 710The EMD 710 is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel . The 710 series largely replaced the earlier EMD 645 series. The EMD 710 is a large two-stroke diesel engine that has a displacement per cylinder. Since its introduction, EMD has continually upgraded the 710G diesel engine...
— "G-Engine"; currently in production - EMD 265EMD 265EMD 265, or the H-Engine, is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel for use in locomotives. Unlike EMD's previous 567, 645, and 710 lines of engines, which operate under a two-stroke cycle, the H-Engine operates as a four-stroke engine. Also distinguishing it from EMD's other...
— "H-Engine"; currently in production, but there have been very few domestic orders in recent years, and most existing 265-powered locomotives in North America have been removed from service and scrapped
645 engine
EMD 645
The EMD 645 family of diesel engines was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder version powered the 33-19 "Titan" prototype haul truck designed by GM's Terex...
. Power ratings were 1,500 HP V-12 nonturbocharged, 1,500 HP V-8 turbocharged, 2,300 HP V-12 turbocharged, 2,000 HP V-16 nonturbocharged, and 3,000 HP V-16 turbocharged. EMD also built a turbocharged V-20 that produced 3,600 HP for the SD-45 that was their first twenty cylinder engine. The final variant of the sixteen cylinder 645 (the 16-645F) produced 3,500 HP.
In 1972, EMD introduced modular control systems with the Dash-2 line; the EMD SD40-2
EMD SD40-2
The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630...
became one of the most successful diesel locomotive designs in history. A total of 3,945 SD40-2 units were built; if the earlier SD40 class locomotives are included, the total increases to 5,752 units. The vast majority remain in service on North American railroads. In 1984, EMD's control systems on locomotives changed to microprocessors, with computer-controlled wheel slip prevention, among other systems.
710 engine
EMD 710
The EMD 710 is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel . The 710 series largely replaced the earlier EMD 645 series. The EMD 710 is a large two-stroke diesel engine that has a displacement per cylinder. Since its introduction, EMD has continually upgraded the 710G diesel engine...
in 1984 with the 60 Series locomotives, although they continued to offer the 645 in certain models (such as the 50 Series) until 1988. The 710 was produced as a twelve-, sixteen-, and twenty-cylinder engine and continues to be in production.
After the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1989, EMD decided to consolidate all locomotive production at the GMD plant in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, a development which ended locomotive production at the McCook, Illinois (commonly called the La Grange plant, after its postal address) in 1991, although the Illinois facility continues to produce engines and generators.
265 engine
In 1998, EMD introduced the four-stroke 265H-EngineEMD 265
EMD 265, or the H-Engine, is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel for use in locomotives. Unlike EMD's previous 567, 645, and 710 lines of engines, which operate under a two-stroke cycle, the H-Engine operates as a four-stroke engine. Also distinguishing it from EMD's other...
. Instead of completely replacing the 710 series engine, the H-engine continues to be concurrently produced with the 710.
Reporting marks
The following reporting marks are listed for rolling stock:- EMDX - Electro-Motive Division Leasing
- EMLX - Electro-Motive Division Leasing
- GMCX - General Motors Corporation
- GMDX - General Motors Diesel CanadaGeneral Motors DieselGeneral Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
Overseas licensees
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
or axle load
Axle load
The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight felt by the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Viewed another way, it is the fraction of total vehicle weight resting on a given axle...
requirements.
Licensees included the Swedish manufacturing company NOHAB
NOHAB
NOHAB was a manufacturing company in the city of Trollhättan, Sweden.The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad as a manufacturer of turbines for hydraulic power plants...
, which sold units to many European operators from the 1950s to the 1970s, and Australia's Clyde Engineering
Clyde Engineering
Clyde Engineering was the name of part of the business now known as Downer EDI Rail. Clyde Engineering were involved in the construction of railway locomotives and rolling stock, as well as larger scale engineering projects on behalf of the governments of Australia...
, which used EMD components in locally designed locomotives beginning in the 1950s.
External links
- Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. Official company website
- EMD China
- EMD India
- Progress Rail Services Corporation Parent Company of Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.
- Caterpillar Inc. Parent company of Progress Rail Services Corporation
- GE Transportation Systems Rail division EMD's primary competitor