Out of the 2 major locomotive manufacturers, would you prefer GE or GM (EMD)? Just curious. Thanks.
Richard
GM should stick to making automobiles, GE’s are toasters on rails. I do like GM better than GE. But, I say…
BRING BACK THE AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY! GO ALCO!
Thanks for the reply!!
Richard
No problem, topics like your post are what this forum is about.
Ahhahahaha, you gotta be kidding me[:D][(-D]
With foreign factories like they are today, it would be: The American Locomotive Company’s new A620. Made in China.
But, to answer this topic’s question, I say GE. They had the U-boats! And, EMD’s new SD’s look just plain gut-wrenching.
Oh, and I have nothing against Alco[tup].
Okay, cool, as long as you have nothing against ALCo.
Gotta love the Century class!
BLOWOUT! What spits fire, catches fire, and looks ugly? GE’s! THey suck, they are throw aways, even though EMD’s dont look that great, they will last and last.
Alec
Just to add a little fuel to the fire…
How many U boats do you see running around, and how many Geeps can you find still in service on railroads all over the country.
I get to watch a immaculate pair of GP30s working for BNSF every week, and they still have an SD9 built before I was born doing mainline drags.
How many GP15s does UP roster, and how many U boats do they still have running?
Not hard to figure out which ones last…
Ed
GM does not make locomotives anymore. They sold EMD. So the question should be “GE or EMD?” Since I do not run locomotives, I base my preference on looks. I prefer EMD.
You have a a point, and I agree with you, but my favorite past time has been chasing CSX’s MOW U-boats around. And now they’re retired from CSX. Last I checked they were still going on Pickens in SC. So, for me, it’s the memories and the fun that count, not which last longer.
Although, there has never been a finer looking locomotive than the GP30M painted up in Chessie. In my opinion, anyway.
Historically, EMD engines had a reputation for reliability while GE doesn’t. That having been said the only thing reliable about the EMD SD70’s and later engines is that they will fail with great regularity. The new owners of EMD need to make great strides in improving the reliability of their product or the will be out of business. The GE’s aren’t reliable, just more so than the EMD’s.
Uh, oops! Took me so long to type that post…I was agreeing with edblysard.
Funny, I like the 30s also…just the ugly duckling thing I guess.
Still, I see the SD9 around here a lot, used it once, and man oh man, that thing works.
Ed
If you maintain EMD’s , they will last, you treat them like garbage, well, obviously they wont.
Alec
GE’s are junk. GM’s are total TRASH.
Well, what would you suggest a Class I railroad do for motive power?
Thank you everybody for replying, as I needed some thoughts on the whole “GM, GE and EMD” situation. Thanks,
Richard
Having never run a GE unit, I’m biased toward EMD, however, they both could do away with the computers running the locomotive. It’s sad that a unit can shut down completely just from a computer glitch.
I agree with wctransfer, as long as you maintain the EMDs, they will last forever. Neglect them and they will bite you back later.
Randy
General Electric all the way! ROCK ON GE!