O TT Flatcar w/40′ Trailer

The trailer-on-flat-car, or TOFC, concept actually predatesthe trucking industry. For a brief period in the 1800s, Long Islandfarmers could ship their loaded wagons to market on a local railroad.The modern use of railroads to ship loaded trailers began on theChicago Great Western Railroad (the “Corn Belt Route”) in 1935 andbecame widespread in the 1950s under the leadership of a former GMexecutive named Eugene Ryan and early supporters that included thePennsy, New Haven, Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Burlington, andSouthern Pacific railroads.

Originally a large number of trailers were railroad-owned, andloading and unloading was done “circus-style” by driving the trailersonto a string of flatcars from one end. A major advance came in the1960s with the advent of the first side-lift cranes, dramaticallyspeeding up loading and unloading. Today the combination of trailer andcontainer shipments, known collectively as intermodal, constitutes thelargest class of freight on American railroads.

MTH Premier O Scale freight cars are the perfect complement toany manufacturer’s scale proportioned O Gauge locomotives. Whether youprefer to purchase cars separately or assemble a unit train, MTHPremier Rolling Stock has the cars for you in a variety of car typesand paint schemes.

Virtually every sturdy car is offered in two car numbers whichmakes it even easier than ever to combine them into a mult-car consist.Many of MTH’s Premier Rolling Stock offerings can also operate on thetightest O Gauge curves giving them even more added versatitlity toyour layout.