O P&LE Flat Car w/Pup Trailers

The trailer-on-flat-car, or TOFC, concept actually predates the
trucking industry. For a brief period in the 1800s, Long Island farmers
could ship their loaded wagons to market on a local railroad. 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.

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

Virtually every sturdy car is offered in two car numbers which makes 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 the tightest
O Gauge curves giving them even more added versatitlity to your layout.