MotivePower, Inc. (MPI) was an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives. The company traces its history back to being a division of Morrison-Knudsen (MK) since 1972.[1] After MotivePower spun-off from MK, the company merged with the air brake manufacturer WABCO to form "Wabtec" in 1999, remaining as a brand of it.
 | |
| Formerly | Boise Locomotive (1996–2000) |
|---|---|
| Company type | |
| Industry | Transport |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Defunct | 1999[2] |
| Fate | Originally a division of MK, it became an independent company, then merged with WABCO to form Wabtec in 1999[2] |
| Successor | Wabtec |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Diesel locomotives |
| Parent |
|
| Website | wabteccorp.com/motivepower |
History
editMorrison-Knudsen established a separate rail division, MK Rail, in 1972.[1] Morrison-Knudsen spun-off the division in 1993; it became a publicly traded company in 1994. After Morrison-Knudsen's bankruptcy in 1996, MK Rail renamed itself "MotivePower Industries", doing business as "Boise Locomotive". The company merged with Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) in November 1999[2] to form the Wabtec.[3]
Wabtec renamed the Boise Locomotive division to "MotivePower" in 2000.[4] MotivePower continues as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabtec.[5] On September 18, 2019 several months following Wabtec's merger with GE Transportation, Wabtec announced the MotivePower Boise plant will close in early 2020 and production shifted to Wabtec's legacy GE Transportation plant in Erie, Pennsylvania.[6][7][8]
Products
editMotivePower's flagship product is the MPI MPXpress passenger locomotive. Over two hundred locomotives have been built for commuter rail operators in the United States and Canada.
Services
editCompleted at the Wabtec Erie shop in Erie, Pennsylvania, MotivePower also does overhaul work for several agencies throughout the US.[9] These include:
References
edit- ^ a b c Morrison-Knudsen Locomotives on American-rails.com
- ^ a b c "MotivePower | Wabtec Corporation". wabtec.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Carlson, Brad (September 27, 2004). "Locomotive builder MotivePower to boost Boise workforce". Idaho Business Review. Retrieved April 22, 2017. – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
- ^ "Names change at Wabtec". Railway Gazette. April 1, 2000.
- ^ "MotivePower". Wabtec Corporation. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ "MotivePower closing Boise office, moving to Pennsylvania". 18 September 2019.
- ^ Wabtec to close MotivePower plant Railway Gazette International September 21, 2019
- ^ "Wabtec to Close Locomotive Manufacturing Company in Boise, Consolidate Operations into Erie Site". www.erienewsnow.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "MPI work now fully relocated to Wabtec plant in Erie". trains.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.