EMD History
Compiled by Don Strack
This page was last updated on February 1, 2008.
Articles By Preston Cook
Winton 201A Diesel Engine — A article originally done as a PowerPoint presentation for use at railfan gatherings.
EMD's 567 Diesel Engine — An article about the development of EMD's 567 series diesel engine.
EMD Technical Publications — An article that documents the various publications EMD produced to support its locomotive production.
USS Atlanta's Winton Engine — An article about the Winton diesel engine used onboard the USS Atlanta; includes history of Winton diesel engines.
Articles About EMD
Wikipedia article about Electro Motive Diesel, formerly Electro Motive Division of General Motors.
Dick Dilworth and the EMD GP7 — The story of how the EMD GP7 was designed, by EMD's Dick Dilworth (from The Dilworth Story, by Franklin M. Reck, Copyright 1954 by Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corporation, pages 94-99)
EMD Early GP Locomotives — Commentary on the development of EMD's GP locomotives, by noted locomotive historian Scott Chatfield.
Max Ephriam — An article from the Chicago Tribune in August 1995 about Max Ephriam, retired EMD Chief Engineer.
Alco versus EMD — An article by Albert Churella about why Alco failed and why EMD succeeded. (originally published in the Harvard Business History Review; copyright 1995 by President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Full title is: "Corporate culture and marketing in the American railway locomotive industry: American Locomotive and Electro-Motive respond to dieselization."
(see also Trains magazine, Volume 61, Number 9, September 2001, for an excellent article, "Death by Diesel," on a very similar subject.)
EMD Builder Plates — A summary of the styles of metal plates that EMC/EMD used on it locomotives, from 1939 to after 1988.
EMD MP15DC - MP15AC - MP15T Rosters — Rosters of EMD's MP15 series locomotives compiled by Rob Sarberenyi.
Chronology History
(the following is an interim holding place for other works in progress)
January 1988:
EMD announced that they would move locomotive assembly from La Grange, Ill., to their plant in London, Ont. (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1988, page C1) (click here for the full text)
January 1993:
EMD built its last locomotive at La Grange, Ill. (Chicago Tribune, January 24, 1993, page C1) (click here for the full text)
January 1998:
EMD began assembling locomotives in Mexico, under contract to Bombardier-Concarril at Sahagun, Mexico. The first group to be assembled in Mexico were BNSF SD70MAC 9866-9942 and 9995-9999, after GM-EMD completed BNSF 9865 at London as a prototype for Bombardier personnel. BNSF 9865 was then sent to Mexico as a further training aid. (part from Patrick Monahan, email to LocoNotes discussion group, January 31, 2008)
March 2000:
EMD began the demolition of its plant at La Grange, Ill. (Chicago Tribune, March 24, 2000, page 1; includes an interview with Jack Wheelihan) (click here for the full text)
April 4, 2005:
General Motors sold its Electro-Motive Division to a new company to be called Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (source)
The following locomotives were assembled at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico, through 2007:
- BNSF SD70MAC 8800-8876, 8903-8940, 8971-8984, 9866-9932, 9995-9999
- KCS SD70ACe 4039-4059
- KCSM SD70ACe 4060-4099
- TFM SD70MAC 1600-1674
- UP SD70M 3823-3873, 4075-4088, 4165-4274, 4285-4522, 4850-5102, 5127-5205
- UP SD70ACe 8606-8620
- (Sean Graham-White, email to LocoNotes discussion group, January 31, 2008)
UP's EMD SD70Ms
To fulfill the delivery schedule for the 1000 SD70Ms in 2000, EMD spread the workload out as follows:
- UP 4000-4074 (75 units), UP 4089-4118 (30 units), and 4275-4284 (10 units) were assembled and painted at GMLG in London, Ontario, Canada.
- UP 4075-4088 (14 units) and 4165-4274 (110 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
- UP 4119-4164 (46 units) were assembled and painted at SuperSteel Schenectady, Inc. (SSSI), Glenville, N.Y.; however, due to the tight delivery schedule, many units were assembled by SuperSteel Schenectady, but were routed to Alstom at Hornell, N.Y., for final finishing, including final paint for some units.
- UP 4285-4522 (238 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
- UP 4523-4849 (327 units) were assembled and painted at GMLG in London, Ontario, Canada.
- UP 4850-4999 (150 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
Of the units assembled in Canada, some units were sent for final painting to VMV Enterprises, Paducah, Ky., and to Coast Engine & Equipment (CEECO), Tacoma, Wash. Units shipped to CEECO were in gray primer paint and were identified with GMDX 1000 series road numbers.
Additional follow-on orders were assembled as follows:
- UP 3779-3822 (44 units) were assembled and painted at GMLG in London, Ontario, Canada.
- UP 3823-3873 (51 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
- UP 3874-3973 (100 units) (??)
- UP 5000-5089 (90 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
- UP 5090-5102 (13 units) were assembled and painted at GMLG in London, Ontario, Canada.
- UP 5103-5126 (24 units) (??)
- UP 5127-5205 (79 units) were assembled and painted at Bombardier-Concarril, Sahagun, Mexico.
- UP 5206-5231 (26 units) were assembled and painted at GMLG in London, Ontario, Canada.
GMLG = General Motors Locomotive Group.
Formal name of EMD's assembly contractor in Mexico is: Bombardier Inc. Domicilio Conocido s/n CD Sahagun, Mexico (BTM).
