MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

Milwaukee Road's Little Joe might just as well been called Lonesome Joe since no railroad wanted the engine. Actually, General Electric had contracted with the Soviet Union to build the locomotives for their Siberian railroad after World War II ended. But as relations between the Soviets and Americans began to deteriorate into the Cold War, the order was rescinded by the U.S. Government after GE had completed construction but not yet delivered 20 brand new engines.

Turning to U.S. railroads, GE was unable to find a buyer for several years. Clearly in a buyer's market, GE eventually reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Road to sell the entire lot plus parts for the fire sale price of $1 Million. But even that agreement fell apart when the Milwaukee's brass elected to move toward dieselisation and scuttled the order. Eventually demand for electrification returned to the Milwaukee Road and 12 units were purchased from GE. This time, though, GE commanded the sale's terms.

The Little Joe (named by a Milwaukee Road employee for Russia's Joseph Stalin) returns to O Gauge for the first time since 2004. Fully detailed and constructed of die-cast metal, the Little Joe brings all the performance and value of a Proto-Sound 3.0 equipped locomotive to your layout. It's industry-leading Proto-Speed Control system, motorized operating pantographs and unique digital sounds will make the long-awaited return of the Little Joe a must-have for your roster.

Did You Know? The Little Joe's were first configured with trucks designed for the European rail standard of 5' compared to the U.S. standard of 4' 8 1/2".