Equipment from EMD La Grange to be sold in four-day auction

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

The auction starts May 18: https://www.perfectionmachinery.com/auctions/listings/

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Another segment of Electro-Motive passes into history.

PC

Connie4800 · **Joined:** Mon May 28, 2018 11:28 pm **Posts:** 90

I wonder what's going to happen to all the test rigs, stored units and failed demonstrators. There's a couple interesting ones - some test rig apparently built on the frame and cab of a G12, for one.

Pretty sad overall, even as a dedicated ALCO fan.

nedsn3 · **Posted:** Sat May 15, 2021 8:53 pm

I think they once had an F9 as a test rig. Is it still around?

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Sat May 15, 2021 11:00 pm

Went looking for material to see how much is left of the plant, and one of the first things to show up was this drone video from just over a year ago. I'm not familiar with the plant, but what I see here seems to show most of the facility, parts of which look newer, and parts of which date to the glory days when EMD had full order books as they were replacing steam engines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yig6kWGJZY

Another video from better days, an open house in 1989:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90kZQBLMD1w

An online article with a variety of photos and videos.

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2 ... -tour.html

Another such article featuring GMD from a Canadian site.

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/GMD/history.htm

Connie4800 · **Joined:** Mon May 28, 2018 11:28 pm **Posts:** 90

I mean, maybe? I'm only aware of the G12 and the SW chassis, and no videos nor photos demonstrate a F9.

Tom F · **Joined:** Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:04 pm **Posts:** 314

Very impressive six figure milling machines in that shop. The lone SD60 sitting out there complete with the Electro Motive paint job in that video would make a nice candidate for a museum. I remember someone telling me that EMD had only one of two known machines for line boring crankshaft caps on EMD blocks. This was a valuable machine as you can reweld the caps on a worn out block and bore a new crankshaft hole making the block as good as new (crankshaft wise). I am sure you will get some great deals especially on the last day. Sad day for the country. Really surprised some other company didn't buy that whole outfit. You couldn't ask for a better locomotive facility.

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Unfortunately the locomotive market has shifted from new equipment to rebuilding existing locomotives. Unless there is some unanticipated change in the legislative environment it is unlikely that demand for new locomotives will suddenly return.

Looking at the drone footage of the plant, the physical condition of the property has deteriorated noticeably compared with what it was on my last visit there.

PC

Connie4800 · **Joined:** Mon May 28, 2018 11:28 pm **Posts:** 90

COVID and PSR's storage lines probably aren't helping the market, either.

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Soon the only remnant of the former EMD corporate organization left in the State of Illinois will be the old Engineering Building. I wonder how long that will last when the rest of the complex is put up for sale. I doubt it will be very practical to maintain that one isolated building just for office space which is probably available closer to the other operations.

PC