MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

The 2-8-8-2 articulated engines first appeared in 1909 on the Southern Pacific Railroad but, while used across the country for the next fifty years, they became much more popular in the East, where train weights were high but gradients were moderate. In 1925 Great Northern finally received their first four single-expansion 2-8-8-2s. They were so pleased with these Baldwin-built engines that they made 26 more in their own shops over the next five years. Although GN added their final 2-8-8-2s in 1930, they ran them for longer than most railroads did; by 1958, only Great Northern and Norfolk & Western still had these articulateds in service. M.T.H. adds to our impressive list of articulated steam engines with the long-lived Great Northern 2-8-8-2 R-2 engine, which is made of detailed die-cast metal.