Motive Power Industries HO Scale Models

Motive Power Industries traces its origins to 1972, when the large construction and engineering conglomerate Morrison-Knudsen established a dedicated rail division known as MK Rail. This division focused on locomotive manufacturing and maintenance, eventually growing into a significant presence in the North American rail equipment industry. Morrison-Knudsen spun off the division in 1993, and it became a publicly traded company the following year, operating independently as it pursued contracts with passenger and freight railroads across the continent. Following Morrison-Knudsen's bankruptcy in 1996, MK Rail severed its ties with the parent company and rebranded itself as Motive Power Industries, conducting much of its manufacturing work under the trade name Boise Locomotive, reflecting its base of operations in Boise, Idaho. The company developed a line of diesel-electric locomotives suited to both commuter rail and freight applications, with its MPXpress series of passenger locomotives becoming its most recognized product. More than two hundred of these locomotives were ultimately delivered to commuter rail operators throughout the United States and Canada. In November 1999, Motive Power Industries merged with the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, known as WABCO, to form Wabtec Corporation. Under Wabtec's ownership, the Boise Locomotive name was retired in 2000 and the operation was rebranded simply as MotivePower. The Boise manufacturing facility continued to produce locomotives and perform overhaul work for numerous agencies until Wabtec announced in September 2019 that the plant would close in early 2020, with production consolidated at Wabtec's legacy GE Transportation facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, following Wabtec's merger with GE Transportation earlier that year. The reporting mark MPEX is associated with Motive Power Industries in its capacity as a lessor of locomotive equipment. In this role, the company has contributed to the flexibility of North American railroad operations by making motive power available to carriers and transit agencies that require additional or specialized equipment without assuming the full capital cost of outright ownership.