Is Union Pacific the slowly dripping I.V. in the two builder market? When Union Pacific pulls the plug, will EMD flat-line? Virtually every modern locomotive on BNSF's Transcon is a GE product; CSX stenciled-in "4500's" on its SD70MAC's to make room for 700 series ES44AC's. Is this curtains?
I see a modern C628 in the SD70ACe; bulky, tough, and a product that itself functions adequately well. Its failure to bring in ES44-size profits, however, foreshadows that EMD's R&D will create a C636 on its next try. Poetic justice.
I grew up on the SD40-2. It is impossible to believe that the throngs of hundreds are fading; with them, perhaps their builder. I was too young to feel an Alco-enthusiasts pain. I understand it now.
Will the world allow a one-builder market? Will EMD be able to keep its costs down and its performance high enough to satisfy especially Union Pacific, and at least one or two other railroads-KCS, CN, NS? If EMD is extinguished, will locomotive building be a lucrative enough venture against GE and the GEVO to attract an upstart?
GE patiently awaited its opportunity. A Dash-7 was often spotted between SD40-2 bookends. EMD had the goods; GE got orders to keep the game fair.
AC traction stepped GE up. The railroads weren't concerned with history; they wanted a reliable product as cheaply and quickly as possible. When the R&D settled, GE won. We had the SD70MAC and the AC4400CW, the AC4400CW being nearly a 3:1 favorite.
EMD doesn't have the bankroll to stay in the business; GE could ride out slow locomotive sales when it got the occasional bone. If there is going to be a second builder, it is going to have to be big and strong enough to live in GE's doghouse for awhile.
Andy Fletcher's career as an artist started early. He began drawing trains-one of his first loves-from his own photos when he was still in school. In 1992, Burlington Northern Railroad asked him to design their popular SD70MAC Executive color scheme. Altogether, Andy has drawn over a thousand trains, from steam to modern diesel and cars, cabooses and other equipment. He has been commissioned to paint trains for many of the railroad historical societies and museums
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