EMD (Electro-Motive Division) HO Scale Models

Electro-Motive Diesel, operating under the reporting mark EMDX, traces its origins to the Electro-Motive Engineering Corporation, founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1922 by Harold L. Hamilton and Paul Turner. The company initially focused on developing and marketing self-propelled gasoline-powered railcars, subcontracting components to firms including the Winton Engine Company and the St. Louis Car Company. General Motors acquired both Winton and Electro-Motive in 1930, recognizing the opportunity to apply diesel technology to railroad locomotion on a broad scale. Under GM's ownership, the company relocated its manufacturing and engineering headquarters to McCook, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, where its facilities remain to this day. The decades under General Motors ownership transformed the company into the dominant force in North American diesel locomotive production. Working through successive engine generations, including the landmark 567 series introduced in 1938 and later the 645 and 710 families, EMD supplied the locomotives that powered the dieselization of American railroads through the mid-twentieth century. Its F units, E units, GP series, and SD series became ubiquitous across virtually every major railroad on the continent. The company operated as GM's Electro-Motive Division for most of this period, and at its peak held a commanding share of the North American locomotive market. In 2005, General Motors divested the operation, selling it to private equity firms Greenbriar Equity Group and Berkshire Partners, at which point the company was formally renamed Electro-Motive Diesel. Five years later, in 2010, Progress Rail Services, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., acquired EMD, bringing the manufacturer under the umbrella of one of the world's largest heavy equipment corporations. Final locomotive assembly shifted to a facility in Muncie, Indiana, while engineering functions remained at McCook, and the company also operates a traction motor overhaul facility in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. As a lessor operating under the EMDX reporting mark, Electro-Motive Diesel maintains a fleet of demonstrator and lease locomotives that serve both promotional and operational purposes, allowing prospective customers to evaluate current production models under real working conditions. This practice has long been a tool of the locomotive manufacturing industry, enabling railroads to assess new equipment before committing to purchase orders. EMD's significance in North American railroading is difficult to overstate, as its products fundamentally shaped the transition from steam to diesel traction and established technical and operational standards that influenced the entire industry for generations.