Learning from the lessons of the GP30, EMD's GP35 proved to be a much more reliable platform as diesel locomotives progressed into their second generation. The model found a home on many railroads across North America. Typical assignments often included priority freight trains, bumping older locomotives to secondary service or the scrapyard. Indeed, the locomotives arrived at a time when the railroad scene itself was changing rapidly and often clinging to life. Wabash's first eight GP35s arrived mere weeks before the railroad became a part of the Norfolk and Western. Most GP35s built would wear multiple paint schemes over their careers. Lionel's latest release of this classic model includes some new and rare paint schemes. Included in this release are the only two Great Northern GP35s repainted in Big Sky Blue and Illinois Central Gulf's ex-GM&O GP35s to wear grayÑwith several detail differences to boot! Regardless of their paint, all these models feature full Legacy Control, sound, smoke, and lighting features, as well as a few road-specific details.
