MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

One of the most successful steam engine designs of all time, the 4-6-2, was tapped by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) for war-effort production primarily for its dual-use capabilities. The USRA was first created during World War I to act as single governing agency responsible for temporarily centralizing the Nation's railroads. Its primary responsibility lay in creating standardized locomotive designs. The 4-6-2 fit the USRA's specifications thanks to its ability to move both freight and passenger (troop traffic) consists with great consistency. Eventually, these standardized Pacifics were so successful that the railroads themselves ordered many duplicates of the USRA design after control was returned to the roads. M.T.H. recognizes the importance and success of the USRA's wartime efforts by returning the USRA Pacific to our own line up for the first time since 1994. This year, you'll find versions in the following roadnames: the Erie, Gulf Mobile and Ohio, Chicago and Alton, and Union Pacific.