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There are pros and cons to both EMD and GE locomotives, both new and old. Older GE's suffered from reliability problems, and as such, most U-boats and a lot of 7-series GE's have already been or are being retired. Older EMDs last a very long time and have a huge availability of parts, so many railroads continue running their elderly geeps forty years after their delivery. However, modern locomotives have changed a lot since then, and the tables have certainly turned. GE's are now considered by many to be the better product, and railroads such as BNSF and CSX have ordered thousands in recent years. However, UP's most recent order was for 1000 EMD SD70M's, so they certainly consider them a good product. There are several reasons why GE has done better in recent years. 1)They are able to deliver faster, and railroads with power crunches wanted locomotives immediately. 2)They do have better financing option and more sales "perks." 3)They have vastly improved reliability and offer more tractive effort than comparable EMD products. As a railfan, I prefer the appearance of EMDs over GEs, but having taken a couple of cab rides and having talked with crew members, I would say that if I were a railroader, I'd prefer GEs. I have been on several BNSF locomotives, both EMD and GE, and have learned that the newer EMDs suffer from more reliability problems than the GEs. (FYI, the venerable SD40-2 continues to be more reliable than nearly everything else) Crews prefer the new C44-9W's because they ride better, have more ergonomic cabs, and are more powerful overall. However, EMDs do still load faster, and GEs are still prone to turbo fires, so it's really all just a matter of preference.
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