Uncataloged Premier O Scale Flat Car with 48' Trailer Announced

March 16, 2023 - M.T.H. Electric Trains has announced a Premier Flat Car w/ 48’ Trailer in an exciting and exclusive "Maine 3-Railers" livery featuring a unique Hannaford Supermarket trailer for the Maine 3-Railers. The car will be offered in two car numbers and will be available in very limited quantities beginning in June 2023.

Item No. 20-95657 Maine 3-Railers Flat Car w/ 48’ Trailer
Car No. 2341
Early Order Price: $85.00 (Plus shipping)

Item No. 20-95658 Maine 3-Railers Flat Car w/ 48’ Trailer
Car No. 2342
Early Order Price: $85.00 (Plus shipping)

ABOUT THE FLAT CAR WITH 48' TRAILER

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 were 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.

The cars are only available for order through the Maine 3-Railers by contacting:

Peter Hanson
21 Norway Drive
Chelsea, ME 04330
207-622-4256
Maine 3-Railers
pvhan@roadrunner.com

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition Lighted Billboards beginning this Fall in three unique schemes. Each of these offerings is expected to begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in September 2023.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing a slew of limited-edition Christmas releases beginning this Fall including an ES44 Diesel locomotive and matching caboose, Bump-n-Go Trolleys, Operating Hand Car, several complementing box cars, Gondolas with Lighted Snowmen, an ALL-NEW Flat Car with Lighted Christmas Trees that feature a Lighted Star, a Flat Car with a Lighted Nativity Scene and a lighted Country Passenger Station. Many of these offerings will be available in Christmas themes and in North Pole themes and all are a great way to add to your own holiday collection of past cars, sets, and buildings. Each of these offerings is expected to begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in October 2023.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.