Athearn brings the GP38-2 originally introduced in 1982 to the company's Ready to Roll series of releases in 2003. The late 2005 release of Athearn Ready to Roll GP38-2 models included factory installed grab irons for the first time. Prior to this release, the model had no grab irons included. Modifications to the original '82 tooling produced some variations in the late "Blue Box" era that survived into the Ready To Roll release period.