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EMD

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EMD
Posted by willy6 on Friday, December 22, 2017 10:19 AM

I just learned EMD became Electro Motive Diesel in 2005 and was bought by Catapillar in 2010. What I don't know is why did General Motors sold EMD? Was it because of the 2008 demise of their automotive business?

Being old is when you didn't loose it, it's that you just can't remember where you put it.
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Posted by DSchmitt on Friday, December 22, 2017 11:03 AM

History:  GM sold EMD in 2005 not 2010: From Wikipeda

       In June 2004, The Wall Street Journal published an article indicating EMD was being put up for sale. On January 11, 2005, Reuterspublished 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, Inc., thus retaining the famous "EMD" initials. The sale closed on April 4, 2005.[24]

        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.[3] 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.[25]

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Posted by tstage on Friday, December 22, 2017 12:24 PM

Didn't EMD used to be EMC in the '30s then was renamed EMD in the '40s?  IIRC, EMC released some or all of the SW1 switchers and FT A-B units but had been renamed EMD by the time the F3s came along.

Tom

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, December 22, 2017 1:18 PM

tstage
Didn't EMD used to be EMC in the '30s then was renamed EMD in the '40s?

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Yes, EMD used to be EMC. The name change had to do with Electro-Motive becoming a full division at General Motors. I am not sure of the date.

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Almost all of my knowledge of EMC, EMD, and Detroit Diesel comes from servicing the industrial & marine engines sold by GM. I have near zero experience on Railroad Equipment.

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I have serviced/repaired 110 and 149 series engines that were branded as both Detroit Diesel and EMD. I have seen stand by generators powered by 12V149 engines that had EMC data plates, and they were built well after the 1940s. Everything I have seen larger than a 149 series has beem branded EMD, and everything 92 series and below has been branded Detroit Diesel.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by DSchmitt on Friday, December 22, 2017 1:54 PM

Electro-Motive Company became Electro-Motive Division Jan 1, 1941.

 

SW1 production Jan'39-Nov'53

FT production Nov'39-nov'45

E6 production Nov'39-Sep'42

EMC built four unit FT demonstrator in 1939.

AT&SF FT #100 was delivered to the railroad by EMD in Jan 1941

I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.

I don't have a leg to stand on.

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, December 22, 2017 2:38 PM

 

SeeYou190
Yes, EMD used to be EMC. The name change had to do with Electro-Motive becoming a full division at General Motors. I am not sure of the date.

 

 "Plant 3" was in Cleveland, Ohio.

Good information here:

 

http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/files/pdf/not-built-at-la-grange.pdf

 

Regards, Ed

 

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Posted by mbinsewi on Friday, December 22, 2017 2:42 PM

Thanks Ed, interesting stuff!

Mike.

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, December 23, 2017 3:50 PM

mbinsewi
Thanks Ed, interesting stuff!

Thanks, Mike!

How about one more?

 RPO_EMD by Edmund, on Flickr

Regards, Ed

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, December 24, 2017 11:38 AM

EMC was the railcar company, founded in the 1920s.  It was bought by GM in the early '30s, I think just before GM bought the Winton engine company, both being part of Sloan's interest in getting GM into modern internal-combustion rail design ... he certainly chose the right team.  If you have not read the 1951 history of the 567 engine, you should: it was the resources of GM as a whole that made the EMC/EMD road power so good.

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Posted by dti406 on Sunday, December 24, 2017 3:00 PM

Some interesting information here with the history of automobile manufacturers during World War II including EMD and Cleveland Diesel.

http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/

Rick Jesionowski

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Posted by ATSFGuy on Thursday, December 28, 2017 12:22 PM

Is there a reason why engineers prefer EMD over GE? 

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