MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

After it was pioneered by the Northern Pacific in 1926, the 4-8-4 quickly became a standard on American mainlines. In less then twenty years, from 1926 until the last J was built by the N&W in 1948, more than 900 Northerns of about 70 types were built. The Northern excelled at pulling passenger, freight, or dual service loads over long distances at speed without changing engines. The four trailing trucks supported a larger firebox that meant a good steam supply and higher sustained speeds. This led to a revolution of sorts in railroading philosophy, as the Northerns shouldered aside 2-10-2s and other locomotives with higher tractive force. The 4-8-4's ability to maintain speed proved more valuable and efficient than brute force. The days of drag freight were coming to an end. Modeled after the Santa Fe 2900-class Northerns, these beautiful and powerful Premier models are available in the markings of the Santa Fe, Atlantic Coast Line, and Frisco Will Rogers and Meteor. Did You Know? The Santa Fe 2900-class weighed in at a massive 510,150 - the heaviest Northerns ever built - because the war effort caused a scarcity of lighter weight materials when these 4-8-4s were built in 1944.