Athearn Genesis HO GEN GP38-2 Locomotive, CNW #4618

The Chicago and North Western Railway (CNW) operated a fleet of EMD GP38-2 four-axle, 2,000-horsepower diesel-electric locomotives that became dependable performers in all types of service, including transfer runs, industrial switching, and yard assignments. Among the most notable were a group of 35 GP38-2s, numbered 4600–4634, built by EMD in late 1979. These locomotives had originally been ordered by the financially troubled Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (RI), but following the railroad’s collapse, the order was diverted and the units were delivered to the CNW. These 35 locomotives were unique within the CNW fleet because they were the only GP38-2s that the railroad acquired new from EMD. Other CNW GP38-2s were obtained secondhand during the 1990s through purchases and leasing arrangements, making the former Rock Island order a distinctive and historically significant part of the CNW roster.