EMD "SD35" Locomotives: Data Sheet, Specs, Roster

Last revised: December 17, 2024

The SD35 introduced Electro-Motive's so-called "35 Line" which began with the GP35 of 1963. In his book, "Vintage Diesel Locomotives," author Mike Schafer notes this line introduced EMD's basic carbody appearance - notably the Spartan Cab - that would continue through the 1980s.

The SD35 was a 2,500 horsepower, six-axle, locomotive - part of EMD's Special Duty line - that provided signficantly greater tractive effort than its four-axle counterpart.

Produced between June, 1964 and January, 1966, it was a transitional model in the EMD catalog, boasting one of the final variants of the builder's legendary 567 prime mover.

Ultimately, only a few railroads purchased the model although as the builder continued to refine its product - and the industry transitioned away from four-axle products - its future variants witnessed unprecedented success.

Photos

With a friendly wave from the engineer in the cab of Norfolk & Western SD35 #1555 running long-hood forward, a westbound trailer train rolls through Hamburg, New York on June 2, 1974. Doug Kroll photo.

History

While railroads remained committed to four-axle models in general road service that sentiment was beginning to change by the 1960s and it could be seen in increasingly higher sales for EMD's Special Duty line.

The SD35 began production in June, 1964 and ultimately sold some 360 examples during a very brief production run of only 19 months. The model followed the earlier SD7, SD9, SD18, SD24, and SD28; all sold only modestly but, as the SD9 foretold, the future looked bright for the series.

Following the SD35, the later SD40 sold more than 1,200 examples while its Dash 2 counterpart was of the best selling models EMD ever cataloged.

The locomotive utilized General Motors' tried and proven 16-cylinder model 567D3A prime mover, which could produce 2,500 horsepower. In his book, "EMD Locomotives," author Brian Solomon notes a 390,000 pound SD35 offered 97,540 pounds of starting tractive effort.

It was more than 30,000 pounds better than a comparable GP35 and its greater footing largely explains why railroads moved away from comparable four-axle variants.

Spartan Cab

Perhaps the most noticeable trait of the SD35 was its carbody. Beginning with the 35 series, EMD used a "simplified" design, which became standard on virtually all new models until the FRA-mandated safety cab went into effect during the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Conrail SD35 #6041 and SD45-2 #6666 work helper service shoving on a westbound freight climbing Horseshoe Curve as the train passes the Visitors Center in August, 1982. At this time Pennsylvania 4-6-2 #1361 (K-4s) was still on display. Rob Kitchen photo.

The long hood was not significantly different from earlier models but the cab, which EMD referred to as the Spartan (otherwise known as the Standard Cab), became an industry classic with a low, short nose and front windshield.

This design could partially be seen on the earlier GP30 which featured a hybrid-like cab between the Spartan and EMD's very first low-nose design with an angled nose.

General Motors SD35 #1565 (originally a Norfolk & Western unit built in 1965) mingles with early CSX power at Cumberland, Maryland on October 28, 1990. Wade Massie photo.

While the SD35 was intended for freight service also offered the model with an optional steam generator for passenger/commuter service.

Classified as an SDP35 this variant was offered as a dual-service platform during an time when the public was abandoning trains for other transportion modes. They featured none of the aesthetic touches of, say, an E9 but could handle a heavy freight train when not pulling a passenger consist.

Data Sheet and Specifications

Entered Production	6/1964 (Demonstrator #7715)
Years Produced (SD35)	6/1964 - 1/1966
Years Produced (SDP35)	7/1964 - 9/1965
Engine	567D3A
Engine Builder	GM
Horsepower	2500
RPM	900
Cylinders	16
Length (SD35)	60' 8"
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab)	15' 8 ½"
Width	10' 3"
Weight	360,000 Lbs
Fuel Capacity	3000 Gallons
Air Compressor	Gardner-Denver
Air Compressor Model	WBO
Air Brake Manufacturer	Westinghouse
Air Brake Schedule	26L
Trucks	C-C
Truck Type	Flexicoil
Truck Wheelbase	13' 7"
Wheel Size	40"
Traction Motors	D67 (6), GM
Primary Generator	D32, GM
Auxiliary Generator	Delco (A8102)
Steam Generator (SDP35)	Vapor-Clarkson (model AR4125)
Alternator	D14
MU (Multiple-Unit)	Yes
Dynamic Brakes	Yes
Gear Ratio	62:15 (71 mph), 61:16 (77 mph), 60:17 (83 mph), 59:18 (89 mph)
Tractive Effort (Starting)	90,000 Lbs at 25%
Tractive Effort (Continuous)	50,000 Lbs at 12 mph (SD35)
Tractive Effort (Continuous)	82,100 Lbs at 6.6 mph (SDP35)
Top Speed	71 mph - 89 mph

A pair of new Southern SD35s, #3055 and #3056, await delivery on the Monon at Hammond, Indiana in December, 1965. Rick Burn photo.

Production Rosters

SD35

Total Built = 360

Owner	Road Number(s)	Serial Number(s)	Order Number	Completion Date
Electro-Motive (Demonstrator)	7715 (became Atlantic Coast Line #1000)	29035	7715	6/1964
Atlantic Coast Line	1001-1003	29036-29038	7715	6/1964
Baltimore & Ohio	7400-7419	29408-29427	7738	7/1964-10/1964
Chesapeake & Ohio	7420-7431	29428-29439	7739	9/1964-11/1964
Atlantic Coast Line	1004-1010	29594-29600	7752	11/1964-12/1964
Southern Pacific	4816-4844	29830-29858	7761	12/1964-4/1965
Western Maryland	7432-7436	29890-29894	5675	12/1964
Central Railroad of New Jersey	2501-2510	29974-29983	7777	5/1965
Central Railroad of New Jersey	2511-2512	30298-30299	7777	6/1965
Pennsylvania	6000-6039	30388-30427	7795	2/1965-6/1965
Louisville & Nashville	1200-1210	30432-30442	7805	4/1965-6/1965
Louisville & Nashville	1211-1221	30443-30453	5690	7/1965-8/1965
Atlantic Coast Line	1011-1023	30518-30530	7815	9/1965
Baltimore & Ohio	7437-7440	30706-30709	7828	9/1965
Chesapeake & Ohio	7428	30740	7830	8/1965
Chesapeake & Ohio	7425	30741	7841	8/1965
Norfolk & Western	1500-1520	30761-30781	7819	6/1965-8/1965
Norfolk & Western	1521-1529	30782-30790	7820	8/1965
Central of Georgia	215-224	30796-30805	7837	1/1966
Southern	3000-3060	30806-30866	7833	9/1965-12/1965
Southern	3061-3099	30867-30905	7838	12/1965-1/1966
Norfolk & Western	1554-1559	31136-31141	7853	11/1965
Norfolk & Western	1560-1579	31142-31161	7854	11/1965-12/1965
Norfolk & Western	1530-1553	31162-31185	5698	10/1965-11/1965

Seaboard Air Line SDP35 #1111 and a trio of Geeps lead train TT23, a southbound trailer train, through Boylan Junction in Raleigh, North Carolina, circa 1965. Warren Calloway photo.

SDP35

Total Built = 15

Owner	Road Number(s)	Serial Number(s)	Order Number	Completion Date
Louisville & Nashville	1700-1703	30454-30457	5691	9/1965>
Atlantic Coast Line	550	30531	7816	9/1965
Union Pacific	1400-1409	30671-3068	7824	8/1965-9/1965

Norfolk & Western SD35 #1546 leads a manifest freight eastbound out of the Bluefield, West Virginia terminal during November of 1980. Rob Kitchen photo.

Only 35 were built between July, 1964 and September, 1965. Buyers included the Seaboard Air Line (20), Atlantic Coast Line (1), Louisville & Nashville (4), and Union Pacific (10).

They remained the same length as the SD35 but included the above mentioned steam generator for passenger use (the generator was housed in the open, rear porch space).

When production had ended on the series in January, 1966 eleven different Class Is had purchased the model with Southern Railway owning the most (100).

Sources

Foster, Gerald. A Field Guide To Trains. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

Service Department, Electro-Motive Division. General Motors Locomotives, SD35 - SDP35 Operating Manual. La Grange: General Motors Corporation, 1964.

Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, A Guide To Diesels Built Before 1972. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1995.

Pinkepank, Jerry A. Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1967.

Schafer, Mike. Vintage Diesel Locomotives. Osceola: MBI Publishing, 1998.

Solomon, Brian. EMD Locomotives. Minneapolis: MBI Publishing Company, 2006.

Solomon, Brian. GE and EMD Locomotives: The Illustrated History. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press, 2014.

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