According to sources who provided Trains News Wire a copy of a Progress Rail letter to customers, Progress will change the names of three subsidiaries:
•Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. will become Progress Rail Locomotive Inc.
•Electro-Motive Canada Co. will become Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co.
•Electro-Motive Diesel International Corp. will become Progress Rail Locomotive International Corp.
Progress Rail says the company will keep the EMD logo on the EMD locomotives and engines it sells.
The rebranding affected only the titles of the three subsidiaries, with no changes to the current management structure at EMD. In the letter, Progress managers say they are making the change as part of their One Company, One Team strategy.
A Progress Rail representative agreed to comment, but requested additional time to respond.
Taxes?
Seems to me that Progress Rail should change its own corporate name, as it sounds rather regressive to me …
Mr. Thompson: It’s true. When Progress Rail closed the former GMD facility, it not only made national headlines, it was a national uproar as well. Us Canadians loved our little London plant (in Crumlin, Ontario actually) and the workers in there dearly. In my opinion, I still hold the workers that used to work at GMD, in very high regard, as they built the units that haul much of what we own today, even if it’s trucked to the final destination.
Regardless, steam fans will refer to the big 3, as the big 3 (don’t forget MLW for us Canadians), EMD is still EMD, for us Canadians, GMD will still be GMD, life goes on. But to retire one of the most hallowed names in railroading is at best and I can’t say THAT word on here, but I will sub it with something else a very big fudging mistake.
One wonders if they passed the pish pipe around when they made that decision. One Company, One Team? Another load of propaganda.
BOO…….HISSSSSS
A “rebranding” effort is no substitute for a depressed new locomotive market ……
Caterpillar has been acting like stupid fools this year.They unload their CT Trucks 7 months ago & cut back on their underground mining & track drills.As this as going on I am wondering what the heck has being in the train business got to do their core business products of making contruction,mining equipment & engines.Cat is well know for their bulldozers,wheel loaders wheel tractor scrapers,motor graders & other that other yellow equipment more then anything that runs on rail.Cat does not need CSX,GE,Norfolk Southern,Kansas City Southern,Burlington Northern railway,CP ,CN,Union Pacific to make a name for itself.Once again what the heck has making diesel locomotives got to do with their core equipment of the equipment listed above?
end of an era
The CAT name.
Millions of dollars in branding thrown away. Poor decision making. Makes one wonder what other poor decisions are on the way
Boy I bet GE is loving this! Why do all these big companies like to try to change or mess with history? If it isn’t broke, don’t try to fix it!!
End of an era. Sad.
Progress Rail should have more respect for the EMD franchise which they purchased. People will continue to refer to the locomotive builder as “Electro Motive” irregardless of what Progress Rails calls it. If they don’t understand why, then they don’t really understand the hearts and minds of railroaders inside and out of the industry. EMD will always be “the name” in diesel locomotives (regardless of the position GE may currently hold) the same way steam enthusiasts will always think of the Big Three (Alco-Baldwin-Lima) and none others when thinking of steam locomotives
Their still branding their locomotives as EMD, I guess.
Mike Woodley, perfectly said.
Explain to me…how do you change the name but keep the exact same logo? Seems odd to me…
This is a nothing story. A company changes its corporate name–its “trade name”–but doesn’t change the brand name–the trademarks–of the products it makes. Zzzzzzz…
That’s funny considering the GMD plant was shut down and the workers raped without Vaseline. I’d like to know where this place is in Canada.
Google Earth as of 2015 or even earlier this year shows much of London being torn apart. The dual gauge track is gone. Much of the trackage in and around the plant is gone. It’s probably almost all gone by now.
Rubbing salt in the wound I’d say. But for the name, I say EMD will remain EMD, even if GE is beating them. The same way we refered to EMD Canada as GMD. Even after the sale.
A flag that should not fall.