GMD Recollections - Memorabilia

Look carefully at the top centre of the framed collage in the background and you should see a photo of an export loco being loaded onto a Russian cargo plane at the London International Airport.  The destination was Northern Ireland.

By Peter Mumby.

My major interest in living in the vicinity of the General Motors Diesel Limited plant was the opportunity to photograph new locomotives at the factory, on the test track, or on delivery by way of CN, CP, or GEXR.  These photos were my principal souvenirs, but there were other opportunities to collect memorabilia.  The plant had representative photos taken of each order, and 8X10 prints of these were available for purchase at the front office.  The four glossy prints I have selected for this display were all the work of Grimes Photography.  Mugs and t-shirts were made available to employees, and my friend Larry came through with a nice assortment.  Both GMD and EMD-labelled items were produced at various times.  I attended the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversary open houses, and branded clothing and posters were available for sale at some of these events.

The photos accompanying this post show a good sample of the GM/GMD items in my collection.  Note that the 50th anniversary poster underlying the display features more than just locomotives.  Over the years, the plant had produced busses, large mining and construction equipment, and military vehicles as well.  The military line was later sold off to General Dynamics, and that annex to the original GMD plant is still very much in operation today.  The book "Locomotives From London" was not actually produced by or for GMD, but it accurately reflects the theme of this series of posts.  Published in 1968, it covers production up to the introduction of the SD40 model.  The book features a foreword by G. Boyd Chesney, who was the plant's public relations manager at that time.

As can be seen in the two 8X10 photos in this array, production of locomotives for the U.S. market began at the GMD plant in the late 1980s.