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. One of the most popular was an 0-8-0 switcher that eventually appeared on 52 railroads. This 0-8-0 marks the third USRA design to appear in the M.T.H. Premier lineup and the first for a switch engine. Built to 1/48 scale proportions, the locomotive includes the intricate detail and quality die casting that have made Premier Line steam locomotives the industry leader. The tooling for the tender has been designed so railroad-specific coal bunkers can be installed on the tender body, providing an added level of realism. More importantly, each 0-8-0 is outfitted with the incredible sounds and features of Proto-Soundr 2.0, including patented locomotive speed control and synchronized puffing smoke. Each road name is available as a 2- or 3-rail model. Both versions feature Proto-Scale 3-2T, the new M.T.H. feature that allows an operator to configure either model for use on 2-rail or 3-rail track. Did You Know? 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 many USRA-design engines remained in service to the end of steam.
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