I also swept the replacement transistor. Below on the right is the replacement, on the left a good example of the original device. The scales are the same. As can be seen the replacement has a higher output resistance (the lines are flatter, making it more like a current source) For 0 base step the collector current is very low. It's current gain is lower as well. The old device has a current gain of 20-30 whereas the replacement is 15-20. I conclude that the MJ2955 is a very good replacement for the 1850-0038

CONCLUSIONS:
When ohming out Germanium PNP power transistors don't be surprised if the CE junction appears low ohm with the base open and the collector negative. The CE should go open when the BE is shorted. If it doesn't the tranststor is probably bad. The MJ2955 is a good device to use in place of the HP 1850-0038