EMD vs. GE

[Anonymous]

To each their own, I guess. Personally, I think I'd try to hook up with some other railfans in your area. Maybe you could hitch a ride with someone else and get a little more out of the hobby.

sorry. i've been...not right lately. well as far as the topic goes, i should provide a miore proper and mature answer.

i grew up watching mostly EMD and the occasional C40-8 on CNW's fleet. while both companies produce excellent running machines, i would have to say it's a tie. while i prefer the look of an EMD, i love the sounds GEs make. like how when they idle, sometimes they'll make that "BWOOOOVVVVVVV!!" noise. i dont know what it's doing, but it sounds cool. GEs have more "life" to their sounds than EMD, but that's not to say EMD sounds bad or anything. in fact i have a recording of an SD45 powering up and leaving a yard.

in terms of success, GE wins. how many roads purchased the AC4400CW? Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Atchkinson Topeka and Santa Fe, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern (did they? i'm not sure on that one), Canadian Pacific, and Chicago & North Western. and i'm sure other roads also bought it. quite the purchase. then compare that to how many roads bought the SD90s. just Union Pacific. but with 4-axle units, EMD wins. UP doesnt even fix their Bs. once the B breaks down, they haul it to the scrapper. but they fix their geeps.

but if i had to pick, i'd go with EMD. i just like the look of them

 

NS and ATSF did not buy them. Neither are AC roads. CP also bought SD90's but you are comparing two locomotives built for different purposes. Compare a C44 and SD70M or AC44 and 70MAC.

[SD60MAC9500]

BigJim is that you in the engineer's seat in your avatar ?

[BigJim]

zardoz,

I was just about to say the same thing myself.

[zardoz]

my guess is MRL has a lot of snowy areas on their line in the winter. thing is with noselights, they get hot and that's no good for crewmembers standing on the porch when the train is pulling into a yard etc.

Perhaps, but when a crewman wants to warm his hands after holding on to grabirons for the last hour, the noselight works great!  And there's no glare on the top of the locomotive's nose.

[Lord Atmo]

my guess is MRL has a lot of snowy areas on their line in the winter. thing is with noselights, they get hot and that's no good for crewmembers standing on the porch when the train is pulling into a yard etc.

[SD60MAC9500]

Headlight placement is determined by the railroad Lord Atmo so I wouldn't worry about that issue. A railroad determines headlight placement which best aides the crew at night.

[Lord Atmo]

i'm aware. but the ACEs dont. i dont get MRL either. why they have them is beyond me

[Anonymous]

EMD's have noselights...

http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photos/GP38/2175CSX-b.jpg


Matt

[NightrainAFD1987]

I am partial to both as well, although I find the SD70MAc, and ACe's are kind of strange. May be the huge flared radiators in the back

I had more to add to the vs list so here goes

Gibson vs Fender
Turkey vs Chicken
Tylenol vs Advil
Red vs blue
TV vs radio
Rock vs rap


etc etc etc

[TimChgo9]

I like both, really... I do have a soft spot for the RS-3, however.

I absolutely love SD40-2's for some reason... But, then a nice pair of C40-8's can catch my eye too.  Love SD70's and AC4400's .... 

So, EMD, or GE.... makes no difference to me... 

 

 

[BigJim]

but what I remember most is that the GE would outperform the EMD by a good margin when they had similar or identical horsepower ratings.

What a bunch of horse hockey.

[Lord Atmo]

sorry 'bout that. i'm still new at this

[silicon212]

You can't compare the SD90MAC to the AC4400CW.  SD9043s aside, they're in two different classes.  If you want to compare SD90MACs against a GE product, you're looking for the AC6000CW.  How many railroads run those?  UP, and I think CSX.  I don't know if BNSF runs them, they might, but I'm not sure.

UP and CP both had SD90MAC-Hs.

[wctransfer]

Couldnt agree more.

Also, Canadian Pacific bought the SD9043Mac too. Get your facts straight before you post...

Alec

[Pathfinder]

No one has mentioned the pride of Canada, MLW.  Best ever 

[n012944]

in terms of success, GE wins. how many roads purchased the AC4400CW? Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Atchkinson Topeka and Santa Fe, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern (did they? i'm not sure on that one), Canadian Pacific, and Chicago & North Western. and i'm sure other roads also bought it. quite the purchase. then compare that to how many roads bought the SD90s. just Union Pacific.

To compare AC4400 to SD90's is like comparing a Chevy Truck to a Toyota Camry, different animals.  Also Santa Fe never bought AC4400's and I don't think that NS did either.

 

Bert

[erikem]

GE - 'course I have been working for GE for the last year and a half...

My favorites were the pair of electrics built for the BA&P in the mid-50's.

[Lord Atmo]

i heard somewhere that they perform better and are more powerful, but EMDs dont break down as often. they seem pretty equal to me. i dont know if that's true, but i know i remember hearing it from someone

[k41361]

About three years ago this issue came up on a forum about steam versus diesel.There was a CSX engineer on the forum and some others that were knowledgeable about the performance of EMD and GE locomotives.It was hands down that GE made a better locomotive.Reliability was an issue, but what I remember most is that the GE would outperform the EMD by a good margin when they had similar or identical horsepower ratings.They sounded like they knew what they were talking about but I can't verify their statements as being honest or true

 

Terry

[Lord Atmo]

To each their own, I guess. Personally, I think I'd try to hook up with some other railfans in your area. Maybe you could hitch a ride with someone else and get a little more out of the hobby.

sorry. i've been...not right lately. well as far as the topic goes, i should provide a miore proper and mature answer.

i grew up watching mostly EMD and the occasional C40-8 on CNW's fleet. while both companies produce excellent running machines, i would have to say it's a tie. while i prefer the look of an EMD, i love the sounds GEs make. like how when they idle, sometimes they'll make that "BWOOOOVVVVVVV!!" noise. i dont know what it's doing, but it sounds cool. GEs have more "life" to their sounds than EMD, but that's not to say EMD sounds bad or anything. in fact i have a recording of an SD45 powering up and leaving a yard.

in terms of success, GE wins. how many roads purchased the AC4400CW? Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Atchkinson Topeka and Santa Fe, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern (did they? i'm not sure on that one), Canadian Pacific, and Chicago & North Western. and i'm sure other roads also bought it. quite the purchase. then compare that to how many roads bought the SD90s. just Union Pacific. but with 4-axle units, EMD wins. UP doesnt even fix their Bs. once the B breaks down, they haul it to the scrapper. but they fix their geeps.

but if i had to pick, i'd go with EMD. i just like the look of them

[CrazyDelmar]

Give me a TRAIN-MASTER!

[Anonymous]

EMD all the way. GEs always have noselights, which are really ugly on widecabs. of course i also loathe SD60Ms, SD60MACs, SD60Is, and especially SD60Fs beyond all belief. i drew how i see them to better explain why i think this way:



freaky mutant locomotives. ugh

 

Not so, Conrail and NS units have headlights!

[CopCarSS]

I'm not intentionally bashing. It just seems like 90% of your posts are complaining in some way, shape or form. I'm honestly curious why you hang out at a railfan place when it seems like most railroading causes you grief. It doesn't seem like much of a gratifying hobby to me.

To each their own, I guess. Personally, I think I'd try to hook up with some other railfans in your area. Maybe you could hitch a ride with someone else and get a little more out of the hobby.

[Lord Atmo]

Lord Atmo your not the spelling bee champ yourself... definitely

it's "you're", not "your"

at any rate, i only go trackside at Altoona once a week. my parents hate me going out there at midnight and staying till sunrise. not much of anything comes through. i used to catch the raodrailer, but when it got to be the same SD70M all the time, i lost interest. it's not fun like the BNSF mainline near the mississippi river. THAT has trains. i don't and never will complain about that place. but alas, i'm stuck with the now-mostly dead UP line. you think i enjoy where i live?

again this is going off topic because you're all bashing me for an honest opinion...

can we kindly go back to the topic?

[SchemerBob]

Lord Atmo your not the spelling bee champ yourself... definitely

Come on, give him a break, his keyboard could have stuck or something.

 

[SD60MAC9500]

Lord Atmo your not the spelling bee champ yourself... definitely

[SchemerBob]

EMD is STILL the best. No question. GE may build them cheaper and quicker but in the end EMD still comes out the winner. Has anyone noticed there is little to no market for used GE's ? There seems to be a demand in Central and South America but those roads are obviously looking for cheap power and that's what they are getting. Cheap power and junk all at the same time. But there is very little demand for GE's used junk here. GE locomotives start out as junk and get worse as they get older. Just scrap all the old GE's and send them to their death in a blast furnace. GE couldn't build a quality locomotive if it TRIED.  LONG LIVE EMD !!!!!!

OK...just for the sake of argument, what is so bad about GE locomotives? Just because other countries don't want them doesn't meen they're bad engines. Although, some countries do have GEs: Ferromex has AC4400CWs, and Pilbara Rail has AC6000s. And yes...even though you say there's no need for GEs in South America, Argentina did (and may still) operate GEs...so even though you consider them as "junk", a lot of railroads use them...Even Alaska's White Pass diesels are GE, made especially for them! Just think back to the Popsicle and diesel-hydraulic experiments that never got off the ground...if GEs aren't good, then why do all of our major class I railroads have them (thousands of them)? I still haven't seen one "shoot fire", though it does happen (once in a great great while).

[silicon212]

Here is what happens to old Geeps.  (Hint - they just get repainted).

http://www.trainweb.org/sp5623/index.htm

[midwestfan]

EMD is STILL the best. No question. GE may build them cheaper and quicker but in the end EMD still comes out the winner. Has anyone noticed there is little to no market for used GE's ? There seems to be a demand in Central and South America but those roads are obviously looking for cheap power and that's what they are getting. Cheap power and junk all at the same time. But there is very little demand for GE's used junk here. GE locomotives start out as junk and get worse as they get older. Just scrap all the old GE's and send them to their death in a blast furnace. GE couldn't build a quality locomotive if it TRIED.  LONG LIVE EMD !!!!!!