MotivePower

MotivePower is an American diesel-electric locomotive brand associated with the manufacture, rebuilding, and overhaul of locomotives for passenger and freight rail operators. Its corporate origins reach back to 1972, when Morrison-Knudsen established a separate rail division known as MK Rail. The division gave Morrison-Knudsen a dedicated platform for locomotive work and later developed into a separately traded company after being spun off in 1993 and becoming publicly traded in 1994. The business underwent a major change after Morrison-Knudsen entered bankruptcy in 1996. MK Rail adopted the name MotivePower Industries and conducted business under the Boise Locomotive name. In November 1999, MotivePower Industries merged with the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, commonly known as WABCO, to create Wabtec. The transaction placed the locomotive business within a larger rail-equipment group whose activities also included braking and other railway technologies. In 2000, Wabtec renamed the Boise Locomotive division MotivePower. The name subsequently functioned as a Wabtec-owned locomotive brand rather than as an independent public company. MotivePower became particularly associated with diesel-electric passenger locomotives supplied to commuter and intercity rail agencies in the United States and Canada. Its best-known platform is the MPXpress family, which was designed for passenger rail applications and accumulated more than two hundred units according to the referenced encyclopedia account. The product range also included switcher locomotives, the HSP46 passenger locomotive, the MP8AC-3, and the CBH family, including the MP27CN, MP33CN, and MP33C variants. In addition to new-build locomotive production, the business performed locomotive overhaul work for a range of American rail agencies and freight operators. Referenced customers and service users include CTrail, CSX, New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Norfolk Southern, MBTA Commuter Rail, Metro-North, Union Pacific, and SunRail. MotivePower's manufacturing footprint changed after Wabtec's 2019 merger with GE Transportation. On September 18, 2019, Wabtec announced that the MotivePower plant in Boise, Idaho, would close in early 2020, with production moving to Wabtec's legacy GE Transportation facility in Erie, Pennsylvania. The closure changed the location of production but did not eliminate the MotivePower name from Wabtec's locomotive portfolio. MotivePower is therefore best understood today as a Wabtec-owned railway equipment brand with historical roots as an independent locomotive manufacturer and continuing associations with locomotive production, modernization, and maintenance.

MotivePower's history began within Morrison-Knudsen, an American engineering and construction company that established a dedicated rail division called MK Rail in 1972. The division created a separate organizational focus for locomotive and railway work. Morrison-Knudsen later spun MK Rail off in 1993, and the resulting company became publicly traded in 1994. The independent period was complicated by Morrison-Knudsen's bankruptcy in 1996. Following that event, MK Rail changed its name to MotivePower Industries and operated under the Boise Locomotive business name. This period established the corporate identity that later became associated with MotivePower, while maintaining the business's connection to locomotive manufacturing and related rail services. In November 1999, MotivePower Industries merged with the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, generally known as WABCO. The merger created Wabtec, combining the locomotive business with a company recognized for railway air-brake equipment. MotivePower consequently ceased to operate as an independent public company and became part of the Wabtec organization. Wabtec renamed the Boise Locomotive division MotivePower in 2000. Under that name, the business supplied diesel-electric locomotives, including passenger locomotives for commuter and other rail operators in the United States and Canada. The MPXpress became the principal platform associated with the brand; the referenced account states that more than two hundred locomotives were built for commuter rail operators in the two countries. MotivePower's portfolio also included MPEX switchers, the HSP46, the MP8AC-3 or R156, and the CBH group of locomotive models. The company was also involved in locomotive overhaul work. Referenced organizations receiving or using such work include CTrail, CSX, New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Norfolk Southern, MBTA Commuter Rail, Metro-North, Union Pacific, and SunRail. These activities placed MotivePower within both the new-build locomotive market and the long-life maintenance and modernization market, where rail operators extend the service lives of existing equipment. A later corporate restructuring followed Wabtec's merger with GE Transportation. On September 18, 2019, Wabtec announced that the MotivePower manufacturing plant in Boise, Idaho, would close in early 2020. Production was to be transferred to Wabtec's legacy GE Transportation plant in Erie, Pennsylvania. The announcement marked the end of Boise as the brand's manufacturing base, but the available reference describes MotivePower as continuing as a wholly owned Wabtec subsidiary or brand. Its history therefore spans an internal Morrison-Knudsen rail division, a separately traded locomotive company, a post-bankruptcy rebranding, a merger-created Wabtec business, and a later consolidation of manufacturing operations.

• 2019

  Wabtec announces Boise plant closure

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  Wabtec announced that the MotivePower Boise plant would close in early 2020 and that production would move to Erie, Pennsylvania.

• 2000

  Boise Locomotive is renamed MotivePower

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  Wabtec renamed its Boise Locomotive division MotivePower.

• 1999

  MotivePower and WABCO form Wabtec

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  MotivePower Industries merged with the Westinghouse Air Brake Company in November, creating Wabtec.

• 1996

  MK Rail adopts the MotivePower Industries name

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  After Morrison-Knudsen's bankruptcy, MK Rail was renamed MotivePower Industries and operated under the Boise Locomotive name.

• 1994

  MK Rail becomes publicly traded

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  The spun-off MK Rail became a publicly traded company.

• 1993

  MK Rail is spun off

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  Morrison-Knudsen spun off its rail division, separating MK Rail from the parent company's direct structure.

• 1972

  Morrison-Knudsen establishes MK Rail

  [1]MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org

  Morrison-Knudsen established a separate rail division called MK Rail, creating the organizational predecessor of MotivePower.

A specialist railway equipment brand focused on diesel-electric locomotive construction, passenger-rail platforms, switching locomotives, and locomotive overhaul services within the Wabtec group.

• Passenger locomotive

  MPXpress

  The MPXpress is MotivePower's flagship passenger locomotive family. It is associated primarily with commuter and passenger rail operations in the United States and Canada. The referenced encyclopedia account states that more than two hundred locomotives in the family were built for commuter rail operators. The platform represents the brand's strongest public-facing association with North American passenger diesel-electric locomotive supply.

• Switcher locomotive

  MPEX Switchers

  MPEX Switchers are a group of MotivePower locomotive models intended for switching and related yard or short-distance railway duties. The listed variants include the MP14B, MP20B, MP20C, and MP21B. The range illustrates MotivePower's coverage beyond passenger locomotives and its participation in specialized diesel-electric equipment for railway operators.

• Passenger locomotive

  HSP46

  The HSP46 is a MotivePower passenger locomotive model included in the brand's documented product range. It belongs to the diesel-electric locomotive portfolio developed for passenger and commuter rail applications. The available reference identifies the model but does not provide additional technical specifications, production dates, or operator details.

• Diesel-electric locomotive

  MP8AC-3 (R156)

  The MP8AC-3, also identified as the R156, is a MotivePower locomotive model listed among the company's products. It forms part of the brand's broader diesel-electric equipment portfolio rather than the separately identified MPXpress passenger family. The supplied reference does not specify its launch date, technical configuration, or customer base.

• Diesel-electric locomotive

  CBH class

  The CBH class is a MotivePower locomotive family comprising the MP27CN, MP33CN, and MP33C variants. These models are part of the company's documented locomotive range. The available source identifies the class and model designations but does not provide enough information to describe their detailed engineering specifications, launch chronology, or individual market deployments.

• Railway maintenance service

  Locomotive overhaul services

  In addition to manufacturing locomotives, MotivePower performed overhaul work for railway agencies and freight operators in the United States. Referenced organizations include CTrail, CSX, New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Norfolk Southern, MBTA Commuter Rail, Metro-North, Union Pacific, and SunRail. The service activity reflects the importance of maintenance and life-extension work in the locomotive business.

• 2019

  Consolidation of Boise locomotive productionStrategy

  Background

  Several months after Wabtec's merger with GE Transportation, Wabtec reviewed the location of MotivePower manufacturing operations.

  Action taken

  Wabtec announced on September 18 that the MotivePower Boise plant would close in early 2020 and that production would shift to the company's legacy GE Transportation plant in Erie, Pennsylvania.

  Aftermath

  Boise ceased to be the planned manufacturing location for the brand, while production was consolidated within Wabtec's Erie operation.

  Source

• 2000

  Rebranding of Boise Locomotive as MotivePowerStrategy

  Background

  After the formation of Wabtec, the former Boise Locomotive division required a unified identity within the new corporate structure.

  Action taken

  Wabtec renamed the Boise Locomotive division MotivePower.

  Aftermath

  MotivePower became the continuing brand identity for the locomotive business under Wabtec ownership.

  Source

• 1999

  Merger with WABCOM&A

  Background

  MotivePower Industries was operating as a locomotive manufacturer after its earlier separation from Morrison-Knudsen and subsequent renaming.

  Action taken

  MotivePower Industries merged with the Westinghouse Air Brake Company in November 1999, creating Wabtec.

  Aftermath

  The locomotive business became part of Wabtec and later operated as the MotivePower brand within that group.

  Source

1. 1MotivePoweren.wikipedia.org