MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

The 4-8-4 Northern was one of the most widely used locomotives of the mid-twentieth century. It proved itself so effective at hauling passenger cars at high speeds over long distances (at a time when most steam engines had to stop and be exchanged for a fresh locomotive on long routes) that it quickly became the engine of choice for many railroads' big-name passenger trains. Each railroad developed its own special version of the Northern, custom designed to handle the travel conditions of the railroad's terrain; the N&W's J was legendary for its ability to muscle freight trains over the mountainous Appalachian Mountains, and the SP's GS-series sped trains up with California coast. It was a fitting tribute to this great engine that the 1976 American Freedom Train was headed for most of its bicentennial tour by a Northern.