The trailer-on-flat-car, or TOFC, concept actually predates the trucking industry. From 1885-1893, Long Island farmers could ship their loaded wagons to Manhattan markets on Long Island Rail Road flatcars. Teamsters rode in their own coach on the farmers' specials, while their horses traveled in stable cars.

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.

High-quality, traditionally sized RailKing Freight Cars provide detailed bodies and colorful paint schemes for the O Gauge railroader. MTH makes an enormous variety of RailKing Freight Cars, including many different car types and roadnames. No matter what era or part of the country you are modeling, RailKing is sure to have something for you.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the RailKing RS-3 diesel locomotive in four different liveries this Summer. These unique releases are part of a series of products representing the last M.T.H. production runs as the company concludes its 40-year history this year. Each of these offerings is expected to arrive in August 2021.

See the full 2021 collection of RS-3 Diesels HERE.

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