What will happen to EMD now that it is sold and is the SD 90 MAC still being produced

[Anonymous]

I looked on the EMD home page and there was no listing for the SD 90 MAC. Has EMD discontinued this model? What is the future for EMD? GE has a lot more to offer in their catalog. EMD only has two models SD70 and SD70 ac on the catalog.

[Anonymous]

Yes, EMD does not catalog the SD90MAC.

The future for EMD? Warren Buffet and others are paying $500 million plus debt assumption to buy it. Railroads are continuing to order their products -- each order represents a multi-million dollar bet that the company will be around 20 years from now to support the product being ordered today. I suppose they could all be completely wrong, but history indicates they've been correct in most of their decisions so far.

The number of models in the catalog indicates nothing on its face value. Offering to build something that no one wants or something that won't be profitable strikes me as insane. Since the North American Class I railroads constitute 80% of the available world-wide market for diesel-electric locomotives, and 99% of what they want is a six-axle locomotive in the 4300-4400 horsepower range with either a D.C. or A.C. transmission, why would a builder want to offer anything else? Would you go to the trouble to design, test, and market a locomotive whose maximum sales potential is 20 units a year? Or put exactly the same amount of effort into a locomotive whose maximum sales potential is 600 units a year?

OS

[K. P. Harrier]

An investment partnership group usually sees an opportunity to make more money. Locomotives are a rather inflexible proposition (One cannot cut too many corners, such as reducing 6 wheels to 5), so it should be interesting to see what the group has in mind for enhancing EMD profits. I am inclined to believe that advancements in labor utilization are the things to watch. If labor blesses the objectives of the new owners, EMD could very well get back its long gone market dominance.

For now, the SD90MAC is dead. Design haste made for waste. Pressure from UP didn’t help. It will be fascinating to see a decade from now if refinements in design brings the SD90 back, demoting the 70 series to the history books.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes ago I opened a thread here to talk bout the possibility of GE take over Gm. Do you remember?
[;)]
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21067

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by K. P. Harrier

One cannot cut too many corners, such as reducing 6 wheels to 5

Well, not reducing, but probably increasing them.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pedrop

Originally posted by K. P. Harrier

One cannot cut too many corners, such as reducing 6 wheels to 5

Well, not reducing, but probably increasing them.

http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=19057&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

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