New Locomotive Manufactuers

[Anonymous]

There are many Diesel (Diesel-Electric) Locomotives on the rails today in North America. Some of them are produced by maufactuers known world-wide, such as GM EMD and GE Transportation Systems. Then there are other, fairly new manufactuers, such as MPI (Motive Power Inc.), a Wabtec Company, who have just in a few years, gaid a foot hold in the Locomotive Industry with their new MPI MP36 Series of Commuter Locomotives for CalTrain and Metra and their GP20D Rail Switcher Locomotives . I wonder where you stand in your opinions and thoughts on these new Locomotive manufactuers and in the competitive field of railroad equipment manufactuering, do you think they will make it?

[edblysard]

We roster MK1500Ds exclusivly at the PTRA here in Houston.
Numbers 9601 thru 9624, purchased new in 1996 from Morrison Knudson, who became Bosie Locomotive, then MPI.
Their "new" GP15 and GP20s are the same locomotive, except the MK1500Ds had a cat engine.
MPI produces the new GP under license from EMD, with the EMD diesel prime mover.
We are a switching terminal road, and these things are great for what we do.
Reliability has been fairly good, and as a switcher, they are great.
We are also the service center for the CEFX fleet of new GP15s and GP20s UP is leasing.
So far, they seem to have held up under the load.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[eastcoast]

Anytime I've ever seen a "new" manufacturer is when they
are subcontracted by the big giants EMD and GE. Other than that,
they are a third party to the industry and will be gone within a decade
due to faltering sales.

[Anonymous]

Ed [8D]

I am always glad to see new power. After looking at the pics you send me of your switchers what really stands out is all the windows for visibility. They look a little funny but I am sure that after a while you get just to that. But the main think is not how they look but how they work and hold up.

I for one would like to see the Alco RS - 3 reincarnated with modern day systems. The RS - 3 s were a beautiful loco. The high hood would have to be lowered for today's railroads. But all the old hats say they would pull anything.

A while back there was an article in the Trains mag about the "Green Goat" electric loco. I have not seen or heard any more about it and have wondered how it was doing and if any railroads has purchased it.

[edblysard]

Eastcoast,
MPI, (Morrison Knudson) is building the "New GPs" under license from EMD for the prime mover.
Frames are GP9s, and Some GP38s.
The sheet metal, hoods and cabs are their design.
MK Rail, MPI or Boise Locomotive have been around for a while, all of our locomotives are from 1996, and after almost seven years, they seem to be holding up really well.
Dont think MK, MPI or Bosie(take your choice of names) is going anywhere fro a while.
CEFX ordered at least 20 new GPs from them.

Yes Jim, the window afford almost a unobstructed view all the way around, and the engineer can see a switchman on the front steps with out having to stick his head out the side window.
These things were designed from the start as yard switchers, down to the brakes, they have eight shoes per truck, two per wheel in a clasp set up, they stop when you need them to!
And they are a lot heavier than you would guess, 254000 lbs each at 1500hp, a MU gives you 3000 hp, with a lot of stopping power.
I rountinly switch with 50 to 60 car cuts!

Never got to work with a Alco, but looking at the way their trucks are designed, and the weight of the things, I bet they would pull just about anything they coupled into.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

So, the GP20D Rail Switcher Locomotive is the same thing, basically, as the GP15D Rail Switcher Locomotive. It does not surprise me that they are built under license from GM EMD with a GM EMD Prime Mover. The Frame does have a EMD like design to it. MPI, formerly know as Boise Locomotive, is part of a rail/transit/marine power congloumerate known as Wabtec. The MP36 (MPXpress) Commuter Locomotives seem to be doing well though, I wonder if we will see any orders for those Locomotives from other big railroads (Metro North, NJ Transit, MARC etc.)?