MTH 20-3833-1 42-8-2 USRA Light Mikado Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 3.0 (Hi-Rail Wheels) - Nickel Plate Road Cab No. 624

During World War I, Uncle Sam nationalized the railroads when they proved unequal to the task of moving massive amounts of men and material for the war effort. The agency that ran the trains was the United States Railroad Administration, or USRA, and one of its chief accomplishments was the creation of 12 steam engine designs that lasted for decades. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, USRA locomotives were "the first successful standardization of American motive power" - and the only standard designs until the diesel era. The most popular of the USRA designs was the 2-8-2 Mikado, which was heavy main line steam power in the World War I era. The very first USRA engine built was Baltimore & Ohio #4500, a light Mikado that is preserved today in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, MD. At the direction of Baldwin Locomotive Works Senior VP Samuel Vauclain, #4500 was constructed in a record 20 days so Baldwin would have the honor of delivering the first USRA locomotive on July 4, 1918. The USRA designs were modern but conservative. They incorporated the best practices of their day, but broke little new ground. After the war, the basic designs were used by railroads across the nation, and about one-quarter of the Mikados built in the United States were either of USRA designs or descendants of those designs. While Mikados were generally relegated to lesser duties as heavier power arrived in succeeding decades, many USRA Mikes outlasted later, more modern steam engines because they were relatively simple and durable. Constructed with dozens of added-on detail parts, the USRA Mikado returns to the Premier line in new road names and numbers for the first time since 2016. While other manufacturers have offered fine models of this classic engine, we believe none matches the detail level, sound quality, slow speed performance, and synchronized puffing smoke of this MTH Premier model. Did You Know? USRA Mikados came in a light version with a smaller axle loading for lighter rail and a heavy version for use on heavier rail. Under the USRA, 625 Light Mikados and 233 Heavy Mikes were turned out by the "Big Three" American locomotive builders: Alco, Baldwin, and Lima. Hundreds more Mikes were built to the same designs after the USRA returned operating control back to the railroads. Intricately Detailed, Die-Cast Boiler and Chassis Intricately Detailed, Die-Cast Tender Body Authentic Paint Scheme Real Tender Coal Load Die-Cast Locomotive Trucks Handpainted Engineer and Fireman Figures Metal Handrails, Whiste and Bell Metal Wheels and Axles Remote Controlled Proto-Coupler O Scale Kadee-Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting Constant Voltage LED Headlight Operating LED Firebox Glow Operating LED Marker Lights Lighted LED Cab Interior Operating Tender LED Back-up Light Powerful Precision Flywheel-Equipped Motor Synchronized Puffing ProtoSmoke System Steaming Quillable Whistle Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments Wireless Drawbar 1:48 Scale Dimensions Onboard DCC/DCS Decoder Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring Quillable Whistle With Passenger Station Proto-Effects Unit Measures: 21” x 2 5/8” x 3 11/16” Operates On O-42 Curves Steam DCC Features F0 Head/Tail light F1 Bell F2 Horn F3 Start-up/Shut-down F4 PFA F5 Lights (except head/tail) F6 Master Volume F7 Front Coupler F8 Rear Coupler F9 Forward Signal F10 Reverse Signal F11 Grade Crossing F12 Smoke On/Off F13 Smoke Volume F14 Idle Sequence 3 F15 Idle Sequence 2 F16 Idle Sequence 1 F17 Extended Start-up F18 Extended Shut-down F19 Labor Chuff F20 Drift Chuff F21 One Shot Doppler F22 Coupler Slack F23 Coupler Close F24 Single Horn Blast F25 Engine Sounds F26 Brake Sounds F27 Cab Chatter F28 Feature Reset