Electro-Motive Division LbNA #16162 (ARCHIVED)

**** BOX MISSING AS OF 8/16/05 *****

It is with some sadness over the recent sale of our company that I dedicate this Letterbox to Electro-Motive Division (EMD). For over 80 years, EMD has been manufacturing diesel engines and locomotives, and has been the market leader for most of this time. Here is a "not-so-brief" decade-by-decade history:
- On August 31, 1922, H.L. Hamilton and Paul Turner incorporate Electro-Motive Engineering and set up headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.
- In July of 1924, the first M300 rail car powered by a 175 hp Winton gasoline engine was completed.
- In 1925 the name was changed to Electro-Motive Corporation and during the first full year of operation, sold 27 railcars. Horsepower increased to 275 hp and a new sales office was opened in New York City.
- In 1930 General Motors Corporation purchased Winton Engine and Winton¹s chief customer, Electro-Motive. These two new GM Divisions play a key role in the GM Research and Development efforts of Charles F. Kettering's two-cycle lightweight diesel engine project.
- On February 12, 1934, the Union Pacific takes delivery of its first three-car aluminum streamliner -- City of Salina. This train was designed and supplied by EMD and powered by a 600 hp 191A Winton distillate engine.
- The diesel-electric locomotive era begins on April 7, 1934, when EMD's first diesel-electric streamlined train rolls out of the Budd Manufacturing plant in Philadelphia. The train is christened on Wednesday, April 18, and begins a five-week barnstorming tour. On May 26, the reopening day of the Century of Progress Exposition, the train made the now historic "Dawn-To-Dusk" dash from Denver to Chicago, covering 1015 miles in 13 hours and 5 minutes. The train's average speed was 77.6 mph, breaking all long distance, nonstop railroad records.
- EMD breaks ground on a 74 acre site for a 200,000 sq. ft. locomotive plant in LaGrange, Illinois on March 27, 1935.
- Three years later, in 1938, EMD begins production of its own engine, generators and motors at the LaGrange plant. The new series diesel engine -- the 567 is specially designed for locomotive service.
- The very first diesels equipped with the new 567 engines were delivered to the Seaboard Airline Railway in early December for use on the famous Washington to Miami Orange Blossom Special trains. The trains set revenue and time schedule records and proved the merits of the new EMD engine. Also, the first application of a 567 EMD engine was made in a non-rail application.
- By 1940, EMD locomotive production approaches one locomotive per working day, and EMD now has over 600 locomotives in railroad service.
- In 1942, to aid the war effort, EMD stops manufacturing locomotives and begins production of 2,100 "567" engines for use in sub-chasers and the famous U.S. Navy LSTs.
- In 1951, EMD delivers its 10,000th locomotive, an E8 passenger locomotive to the Wabash Railroad. This 2,250 hp locomotive seals the fate of steam passenger locomotives.
- By 1960, the dieselization of the American Railroads is now complete. In just a little over 25 years after EMD introduced the first diesel-electric streamline passenger locomotive -- the legendary Burlington Zephyr -- the U.S. railroads have replaced their fleet of 60,000 steam locomotives with 28,000 diesel-electrics.
- In 1962, EMD delivers its 25,000th locomotive, a GP30, to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
- Three years after it begins operations to provide a viable rail passenger system for the United States, Amtrak takes delivery of its first SDP40F passenger locomotive in 1974.
- Another historic milestone is reached in 1983 - the production of the 50,000th GM powered locomotive.
- In 1988, General Motors consolidates its Electro-Motive locomotive assembly operations with GM Diesel Division of Canada. EMD begins creation of a worldwide distributor network to market and service EMD non-rail products.
- In 1992 EMD again revolutionizes locomotive power by developing a new prototype 60 Series locomotive equipped with AC traction technology. EMD, in conjunction with the Burlington Northern, begins extensive revenue service testing of 4 SD60MAC locomotives in heavy haul operations. This new SD60MAC delivers higher starting and tractive effort, and most importantly, increased reliability.
- Press Release: April 4, 2005 -- Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Berkshire Partners LLC and certain related parties today announced the completion of the acquisition of Electro-Motive Division from General Motors. The company, which will be named Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD), is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of freight and passenger diesel-electric locomotives.
The sale covers substantially all of the Electro-Motive businesses, including North American and international locomotives; power, marine and industrial products; the spare parts and parts rebuild business; and all of Electro-Motive’s locomotive maintenance contracts worldwide. Both the LaGrange, Illinois and London, Ontario manufacturing facilities are included in the agreement.

And so ends another chapter in the long history of EMD.

Clues:
As a summer student intern, we used to go as a group and eat lunch outside at Sedgwick Park in LaGrange, right down the street from EMD.
Sedgwick Park has a parking lot off the corner of 48th and 10th streets. Enter this lot and park in front of the "Park District" building.
You will see a row of evergreens in front of the building. Walk to the evergreen that is farthest south, and you will find the box hanging close to the ground on the back side of the evergreen.
Please be very discreet as this is an urban box with lots of people usually in the park.

This is a smal box, no ink.
Recommended color: Blue

Please feel free to contact me about the box at coyotespaw@yahoo.com

Happy Letterboxing!
Howling Coyote