Two other factors which enter into the process, and tip it one way or the other--
First, money. ALWAYS an issue!!! GM and later, GE, had well-run, deep pockets financing programs. Look at the data plates on many units-- GM and GE were the owners and lessors of the units to a lot of railroads, and in many cases, that railroad may not have been able to get their own financing ("equipment trust" it was called). Alco had no such resources, and once Alco became a part of the various conglomerates, it had even fewer resources, even for Research and Development.
Second, Factory Support. GM and GE were again, bigger, with larger and more established field support organizations (with all due apologies to Mr. McDermott!!).
It can easily be argued and probably proven that Alco made a superior product, especially the Centuries and the other 251-powered units (we'll forget about the C-855 and such!!). But, in the corporate environment of the 50s and 60s, that didn't necessarily carry the day.
The head start of WW2 (advantage to EMD-GM), the rush to put the 244 into locomotives (bad taste for Alco on many roads), the overall shrinking of the market coinciding with the 251 intro, were all bad enough; GE deciding to jump in and the conglomerate stupidity were the final coffin nails.
The aluminum wire business didn't come along until after GE's U25B, did it?
First, money. ALWAYS an issue!!! GM and later, GE, had well-run, deep pockets financing programs. Look at the data plates on many units-- GM and GE were the owners and lessors of the units to a lot of railroads, and in many cases, that railroad may not have been able to get their own financing ("equipment trust" it was called). Alco had no such resources, and once Alco became a part of the various conglomerates, it had even fewer resources, even for Research and Development.
Second, Factory Support. GM and GE were again, bigger, with larger and more established field support organizations (with all due apologies to Mr. McDermott!!).
It can easily be argued and probably proven that Alco made a superior product, especially the Centuries and the other 251-powered units (we'll forget about the C-855 and such!!). But, in the corporate environment of the 50s and 60s, that didn't necessarily carry the day.
The head start of WW2 (advantage to EMD-GM), the rush to put the 244 into locomotives (bad taste for Alco on many roads), the overall shrinking of the market coinciding with the 251 intro, were all bad enough; GE deciding to jump in and the conglomerate stupidity were the final coffin nails.
The aluminum wire business didn't come along until after GE's U25B, did it?
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."