Produced from 1963 to 1966, the GP35, along with its six-axle SD35 sibling, marked both an end and a beginning. They were the last road diesels to use the EMD 567 motor that had powered switchers, F-units, and Geeps since 1939 (so named because each cylinder displaced 567 cubic inches). For the horsepower race of the 1960s, EMD tweaked the 567 to a turbocharged V-16 delivering 2500 hp. That was it for the 567, however, and in 1966 the baton was passed to the more powerful model 645. But while the "35 line" diesels ushered out an old motor, they inaugurated a new look. Their angled cab roofs and the clean, squared-off lines of their car bodies established the look of EMD power for the next three decades.
Introduced to compete with General Electric's landmark U25B, which had ushered in the second generation of diesel power, the GP35 outsold the "U-Boat" nearly three to one. There was a strong market for new power in the mid-1960s because the first-generation diesels that had vanquished steam were wearing out. While first-generation rosters had often been a hodgepodge of manufacturers and models as railroads experimented with the new technology, by 1960 Alco, EMD, and GE were the only manufacturers left standing - and Alco would soon throw in the towel. As a result, virtually every major U.S. railroad became a GP35 customer and over 1300 engines were sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

In what we believe is the finest, ready-to-run HO GP-35 diesel to ever be produced, HO modelers will find the best combination of detail, realism, and performance of any 1/87 scale GP35. Added-on detail parts include windshield wipers, metal see-thru body grilles, lift rings, metal grab irons and handrails, see-thru rooftop fan housings, and brake cylinders, air pipes, and swing hangers on our super-detailed Blomberg trucks.

Our highly detailed model includes a broader range of features than you'll find on any other HO scale diesel, including lighted number boards; smooth performance from a three-scale-mile-per-hour crawl to full throttle; "cruise control" for steady speeds regardless of curves, switches and grades; built-in decoders for DCC and the M.T.H. DCS Digital Command System; and a full range of sounds recorded from a prototype GP35. If you're looking for durable motive power that's accurately detailed, smooth running, and a great deal of fun to operate, it doesn't get any better than this.

 Features

•Intricately Detailed ABS Body 
•Metal Chassis 
•Moveable Roof Fans 
•Metal Handrails and Decorative Horn 
•Metal Body Side Grilles 
•(2) Engineer Cab Figures 
•Authentic Paint Scheme 
•Metal Wheels and Axles 
•RP25 Metal Wheels 
•(2) #158 Scale Kadee Whisker Couplers 
•(2) Operating Kadee Compatible Remote Controlled Proto-Couplers 
•Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting 
•Directionally Controlled Constant voltage LED Headlights 
•Lighted Cab Interior 
•Illuminated Number Boards 
•Lighted Marker Lights 
•Powerful 5-Pole Precision Flywheel Equipped Skew-Wound Balanced Motor 
•Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments 
•Operates On Code 70, 83 and 100 Track 
•1:87 Scale Proportions 

Signature Series models offer the final word in realism: beautifully detailed M.T.H. O and HO scale models weathered to look like hard-working locomotives and rolling stock. Each model is individually weathered by a master modeler with more than 30 years of professional modeling experience. The resulting finish ensures that these new Signature Series models for 2014 will look right at home on any sceniced, scale-detailed layout.

All models are airbrush-weathered, using proprietary techniques that capture the subtle natural wear and tear produced by road dust, rain, rust, wind and everything else that railroad equipment experiences in real life. The Signature Series airbrush weathering process brings out details in a model that previously went unnoticed, and replicates effects usually obtainable only with chalks and pinpoint washes.

No two Signature Series finishes look exactly alike. Each model of the same engine or passenger set has its own unique finish, with noticeable but subtle differences visible in side-by-side comparisons. Because these models are designed to run as well as they look, each locomotive and car is sealed with a flat finish to allow handling and the use of smoke fluid. 

M.T.H. Signature Series models first appeared in 2012, providing hobbyists with unique offerings not previously available from a major model railroad manufacturer. Each Signature Series item is an excellent solution for modelers who either have not had the confidence to attempt weathering techniques, or simply don’t have time to do it themselves. Most importantly, these professionally weathered models can withstand the rigors of operation while providing the final element of realism needed to depict real-life railroading on an O or HO scale layout.