Read in TRAINS today that the owner of EMD is dropping that name. Now Progress Rail. Whatever, to me it will still be EMD. Typical corporate move. More important, they better start selling some tier 4 engines.
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jim pastorius posted:Read in TRAINS today that the owner of EMD is dropping that name. Now Progress Rail. Whatever, to me it will still be EMD. Typical corporate move. More important, they better start selling some tier 4 engines.
My sources tell me that Progress Rail, whole owned by Caterpillar, is dropping the name "Electro-Motive Diesel", however the "EMD" name will be retained. Many months ago, the huge letters "ELECTRO-MOTIVE" were removed from the main building facing 55th Street and their huge parking lot.
I thought the ultimate goal of every corporation is to become a three letter acronym. EMD had arrived.
Progress Rail is the name that needs to go. Most don't know what it is, and those that do generally don't care.
I agree. "Progress Rail" is a lousy corporate name. Caterpillar would be better. Then NS could adopt a caterpillar paint scheme to a n SD 70 ACe.
But on the other side, the "soul" of EMD died with the 710.........!
About a year ago I was doing some internet searching and found info on a pre-WW II radial diesel engine that EMD had designed as a dirigible engine. When WW II started they built a 90 degree gear box and tried it vertically in a sub. Seemed like a good engine but leaked oil and the vertical mounting made servicing difficult. I saved a photo of it. They should have taken the gear box(it was big) off and tried it in the Sherman tank. They tried everything else.
