Is CP Ever going to buy EMD's In the Future???

Wouldn't be the first time they ignored EMD...just ask Alco/MLW.

Yeah, but MLW blew it, and look what happened. GMD has done poorly the last 2 trys...

I meant that ALCO/MLW made up the bulk of CP Rail's orders for a sizeable time, before they switched back to EMD.

That's what I meant..MLW blew it with the last two models ordered, and lost CP as a customer for good.

GMD was not well regarded on the last order(or the one before that, if you count the initial problems with the SD40-2F's)..

How about GE locomotives? Is CPR looking to upgrade there Fleet?

I'm fairly certain that there will be another batch of Evolution Series units coming in sometime soon. I have no idea of how many (my guess would be 50 or 60) and will be in the 8900s.

Since EMD was bought by Cat, not sure if CP would want a PR43C from a SD50 or a PR30C from a SD40. Cat would love to have a yellow engine under the red hood. AFAIK 3 PR43C are on NS & 3 PR30C may be on UP?

If they do, it'll probably be some small keep-GE-honest type of orders, not a switch to EMD. GE's products have been better than their EMD counterparts since the late 1980s (i.e., since the DASH-8 production series locomotives). So why would CP buy EMDs at this point? Because some foamers prefer them?!

It is to the advantage of the railroads to have SOME competition in the locomotive market, so they'll continue to be some level of orders given to EMD (just to keep GE honest), but unless EMD comes out with some world-beater locomotive, they aren't going to unseat GE as the No. 1 locomotive builder. Not EVERY railroad will support both builders, and it would appear that CP is one of those not providing any support to the also-ran at this point.

XBNSFer wrote:If they do, it'll probably be some small keep-GE-honest type of orders, not a switch to EMD. GE's products have been better than their EMD counterparts since the late 1980s (i.e., since the DASH-8 production series locomotives). So why would CP buy EMDs at this point? Because some foamers prefer them?!

It is to the advantage of the railroads to have SOME competition in the locomotive market, so they'll continue to be some level of orders given to EMD (just to keep GE honest), but unless EMD comes out with some world-beater locomotive, they aren't going to unseat GE as the No. 1 locomotive builder.

AMEN!!

Agreed that GE has the dominant product with the GEVO's now, but the SD70ACes (at least I THINK that's what they call them) have made some in-roads to the marketplace. Sure, CP could test the waters w/ the SD's, but in the interest of standardization one would have to ask why?

The other day I had to call the mechanical dept. about a minor problem that I had with an ES 44AC. I told him that i missed the Chevys (SD40-2). He mentioned the bad luck with the 90MAC. I said that they were experimental, and I had good experiences with the original 70MAC, on BN, like I said before.
He told me that a 60 unit GE order is in the works. I expected an order soon, since we seem to be power short. There have been hundreds of rent-a-wreck SD40s lately. Some of them are engines that we retired, and are now leasing. The mechanical guy also said that they would be looking at what improvements Cat put into EMD. I think that the BNSF test units were because of the initial problems with the first batches of ES series

It appears that the next batch of EMDs for CP will be 50 ECO rebuilds of old GP9s for yard service beginning in 2012. I am still hearing rumors of a few SD70ACes coming to CP as part of Progress Rail's lease fleet. These would be 5 - 10 locomotives leased at favorable rates to get CP to try them out. Progress Rail has placed 5 SD70ACes with CSX for the same reason.