Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35
An Electro-Motive Division GP35 has joined the Paragon4 and Stealth product ranges from Broadway Limited Imports. The second-generation diesel features railroad-specific details, cast- and etched-metal parts, and a factorypainted and installed crew figure.
Electro-Motive Division produced the
GP35 between October 1963 and January 1966. The four-axle road locomotives were equipped with a 16-cylinder 567D3A diesel engine rated at 2,500hp. During the course of the production run, EMD produced more than 1,300 units.
Our sample is decorated as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy No. 992, part of the railroad’s 978 through 999 series. The 992 was built in August 1964. The unit became part of the newly formed Burlington Northern fleet in March 1970, renumbered 2538. On Dec. 9, 1972, the locomotive was involved in a wreck in Lava, Ore. Burlington Northern scrapped the 2538 in February 1973.
The BLI GP35 has an ABS body with a die-cast metal chassis. The front and rear pilots on the CB&Q model are fitted with footboard pilots and factoryinstalled plastic m.u. hoses, trainline hoses, uncoupling levers, and footboard handrails. The handrails and stanchions are also plastic; the grab irons are formed-wire parts.
Long hood features include metal lift rings and a cast brass three-chime air horn. The dynamic brake and radiator fans are multi-piece assemblies with a plastic housing, etched-metal screen, and separate fan blades.
The CB&Q model we received is neatly painted in the railroad’s Chinese Red and gray scheme. Placement of the lettering, herald, and stripes match prototype photos I found online.
There were a few detail discrepancies between the model and the full-size 992. The prototype had three-latch engine compartment doors, not seven as on the model. There was also a step guard in front of the battery box on the engineer’s side, which was omitted on the model. The handrail was attached to the step guard, not the sill.
Prototype drawings of the EMD GP35 were published in the 1966 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice (Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp.) The BLI model closely follows the listed dimensions.
I tested our sample, equipped with a dual-mode Paragon4 sound decoder, using an NCE PowerCab. At step 1, the model moved at 3 scale mph. The fouraxle locomotive achieved a top speed of 76 scale mph at step 28. The full-size engine had a top speed between 71 and 83 mph, depending on the gear ratio.
The built-in capacitor pack helps the locomotive operate over dirty track and dead spots. When I lifted the model off the tracks, the sounds and lights stayed on for six seconds.
Next, I tested the GP35 on our Wisconsin & Southern and Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layouts. The unit did a great job handling a short train switching industries on the WSOR. The road switcher muscled 12 50-foot boxcars up the 3 percent grade between Williams Bay and Skyridge.
The Electro-Motive Division GP35 was a popular second-generation diesel, with examples still in service today. Broadway Limited Imports has done a good job capturing the lines of this 2,500hp engine in HO scale. If you model any time between 1963 and today, you’ll want to check out this road locomotive. — Cody Grivno, senior editor