What's next for GE and Erie?

[GE506]

http://www.goerieblogs.com/business/bizbuzz/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MEC407]

Thanks for the link. Brief fair-use quote:

Union leadership at GE Transportation never accepted the company’s premise that workers at a new GE plant in Fort Worth, Texas, were 20 percent more productive.

Now, Local 506 of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers says it has definitive proof that workers at the company’s century-old plant are actually more efficient than their counterparts in Texas.

The union announced this afternoon that a financial analysis conducted by the accounting firm of Schaffner, Knight, Minnaugh and Co. found that building a locomotive takes substantially more labor hours at the plant in Fort Worth than here in Erie.

Specifically, the firm’s James Schaffner concluded, “With respect to locomotive production, the Erie plant’s production (efficiency) is twice that of the Fort Worth facility at April 30, 2013.”

There are several other GE-related articles on that page, too.

[MEC407]

From TribTown.com:

Officials say an all-day bargaining session failed to produce an agreement aimed at heading off the elimination of 950 union jobs at a century-old locomotive manufacturing plant in northwestern Pennsylvania.
. . .
GE Transportation officials said they sweetened their previous offer on Saturday evening, offering to increase from 375 the number of jobs saved in exchange for changes in work rules and a pay freeze and offering to reduce the wage freeze from three to two years.
. . .
Union president Scott Duke said a number of factors led the union to reject the company's proposal, including wages, mandatory overtime and the two-tier proposal.

Duke also said the union wasn't eager to reopen a contract not set to expire for another two years.

"We did everything we could," he said. "Our last proposal was going to save them $26 million, and they rejected it."

Read more at: http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/df05 ... ation-Erie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GEVO]

2nd quarter profits rise at GE Transportation

results released Friday as part of the General Electric Co.'s earnings report show that GE Transportation earned a $580 million profit through the first six months of 2013. That's 13 percent ahead of the record-setting pace set in 2012.

Duke said Friday that the company's record profits weaken its argument that cost-cutting measures are needed.

[MEC407]

GE to provide LNG retrofit kits for Evolution Series locomotives:

GE Transportation locomotives powered by natural gas could soon be appearing on railroads across the country.

But don't expect to see new natural gas locomotives rolling off the GE assembly lines in Erie or Fort Worth, Texas, anytime soon.

Instead, the company confirms it has begun a pilot program to build LNG, or liquefied natural gas, conversion kits that will be available to modify existing Evolution locomotives.

The kits would be built to power the 4,500-horsepower Evolutions already in service.

Read more at: http://www.goerie.com/ge-transportation ... rsion-kits" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MEC407]

From GoErie.com:

The first round of layoffs at GE Transportation is to take place Friday.

The company, Erie's largest employer, will lay off 21 people as of Friday, said Scott Duke, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America.

The company, which announced plans in April to eliminate 950 union positions, is expected to cut 500 positions by the end of this year. Of those, about 50 positions will be lost to retirement. The remainder, about 450 positions, will be eliminated by layoff.

Duke said the company expects to complete the 500 job cuts by Dec. 27.

Read more at: http://www.goerie.com/article/20131120/ ... gin-Friday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MEC407]

Recent photos of the GE Test Track by Richard Thompson:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=507772" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=507773" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Allen Hazen]

Re the test track photos--
Norfolk Southern's historically sensitive commemorative units have had LOTS of publicity, but they're not alone: Florida East Coast (nearest unit to camera in both photos) seems to have chosen a basically "First Generation" pain scheme for its ES44C4 units!
The great unit furthest from camera (you can only really see it in the first photo) seems to have the hump over its engine compartment of a Tier 4 unit.

[MEC407]

Video by Jim Gray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n97-5tCLThY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Allen Hazen]

Carbody evolution in Tier 4 prototypes? The unit in the Jim Gray video -- the one with blue fore and aft and a grey midriff -- seems to have a hump over only the rear portion of the engine compartment, and not over the whole length of the engine.

(And "great" in my post two back is the computer's work: I intended to say "grey". I mean, it is doubtless a great locomotive, but that's not a way of specifying WHICH unit you mean when they are on the Erie test track!

[NorthWest]

Yes, that is interesting. I *think* that the reason for the bump is DPF. Hopefully they can find a way to make the transition more smooth. We don't want any more camelbacks, right?

[MEC407]

Video by Jim Gray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-p5hesubYo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Allen Hazen]

Thanks for linking the Jim Gray video!
--
Apparently for Indonesia. Model designation C?20EMP (?might be X -- my memory seems to be getting worse and worse!). C20 I suspect means FDL-8 engine: so this is the latest development of an export locomotive line stretching back to the U12 of the mid-1950s!

I know lots of railways in many countries have had twin-cab hood units, but something about these put me in mind of CIE's (Irish railway) EMD units from the early and mid 1960s. The indonesian railways are narrow (metre) gauge, and I suspect these units when they get to their destination will be put on C trucks… but I think they'd look good on two-axle broad gauge trucks. (Grin!)

[Allen Hazen]

CM20EMP. The first M-- the one after the C-- probably stands for "modified," and is a traditional GE designation for dual-cab export units. Any guesses for EMP?
(The 1987 line-- second iteration of the Dash-8-- domestic units were called B39-8E and C39-8E, with the E explained as meaning "enhanced." The last "Super 7" units, built for Mexico in 1994 were called CMP30-S7N, with MP standing for microprocessor-based control.)

[MEC407]

"enhanced, with microprocessor control" would be my best guess.