The modern use of railroads to ship loaded trailers began on the Chicago Great Western Railroad (the “Corn Belt Route”) in 1935 and became widespread in the 1950s, under the leadership of a former GM executive named Eugene Ryan and early supporters that included the Pennsy, New Haven, Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Burlington, and Southern Pacific railroads.

 

Originally a large number of trailers were railroad-owned, and loading and unloading was done “circus-style” by driving the trailers onto a string of flatcars from one end. A major advance came in the 1960s with the advent of the first side-lift cranes, dramatically speeding up loading and unloading. Today the combination of trailer and container shipments, known collectively as intermodal, constitutes the largest class of freight on American railroads.

 

High quality, traditionally sized RailKing Freight Cars provide detailed bodies and colorful paint schemes for the O Gauge railroader. MTH makes an enormous variety of RailKing Freight Cars, including many different car types and roadnames. No matter what era or part of the country you are modeling, RailKing is sure to have something for you.

 

Intricately Detailed, Durable ABS Body

Metal Wheels and Axles

Die-Cast 4-Wheel Trucks

Fast-Angle Wheel Sets

Needle-Point Axles

(2) Operating Die-Cast Metal Couplers

Detailed Brake Wheel

ABS Detailed Trailer

Near-Scale Proportions

Unit Measures: 11 5/8” x 2 1/4” x 3 3/4”

Operates On O-27 Curves