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News Wire: GE Transportation's break-up scenarios

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[quote user="Saturnalia"]The North American locomotive industry is being drubbed all around right now. We have no real innovation in terms of capability for the last 15-20 years...4400 hp, six axles, 12-16 cylinders. We get it, it works, but innovation has been focused on...Tiers![/quote] Well, EMD and GE introduced 6,000 hp locomotives in 1995. They had teething problems that were solved as the Chinese locomotives showed. The locomotives didn't meet the railroad's operational expectations so the horsepower race was of and the RR bought 4,400 hp locomotives. So where should capability innovations have gone? There were innovations like introducing new diesel engines, GE almost twice as the Tier 4 is quite different from the Tier 3. GE introduced the ES44C4 as AC replacement for DC locomotives. EMD introduced one inverter per axle instead of one per truck as before. There are not only shareholders but people breathing the exhaust gases too. [quote user="Saturnalia"]And all reports are that Tier 4 broke the model. They burn more fuel, drink oil, break more, are harder to fix, and they can't do anything the Tier 3s can't. [/quote] Can you provide a link? We had the discussion about fuel efficiency a few times and weren't able to find reliable information. Do they really drink oil, break down more often? Do you have reports you can share? Even if yes, you can't blame the locomotive builders. Going EGR without any SCR was a decision the RRs made though knowing the problems with EGR in the trucking industry. [quote user="Saturnalia"]Wouldn't take Siemens out of the question, but they're already busy swallowing Alstom.[/quote] Siemens Alstom will not be a Siemens subdivision. It will be an independent French company with the headquarter in France listet at the French stock exchange and led by Alstom's CEO. I don't see a reason why Siemens should buy GE. I think they have the expertise to build heavy haul locomotives. What they are missing is an EGR only Tier 4 diesel engine. But perhaps time will eliminate this need. CARB already asked for a Tier 5 which according to their proposal would have limits that highway trucks already have. So only time will tell if EGR is a dead end. Regards, Volker
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