April 1, 2025 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing the RailKing O Gauge 40' Box Car in SIX different liveries, including a special MTH 45th Anniversary scheme, this Fall. Each of these offerings is expected to begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in October 2025.
Check out each of the offerings in this year's collection in the scrolling list at the bottom of the page.
PROTOTYPE HISTORY
The 40’ steel box car so familiar to model railroaders was a product of the 1930s. Wood box cars, which were built into the World War I era, and early steel cars were largely non-standardized, with details varying from railroad to railroad. The move toward standardization began with American Railway Association (ARA) designs of 1923 and 1932. It culminated in the 1937 AAR boxcar, which was adopted by railroads from coast to coast and built in the tens of thousands. (The AAR (American Association of Railroads) was and still is the successor to the ARA.)
While the original paint schemes were usually drab variations on standard box car red, new schemes in the 1950s and later brought color back to the American freight train. Our models replicate many of the most fondly remembered paint schemes seen on these cars.
Check out each of the offerings in this year's collection in the scrolling list at the bottom of the page.
