The trailer-on-flatcar, or TOFC, concept actually predates the trucking industry. For a brief period in the 1800s, Long Island farmers could ship their loaded wagons to market on a local railroad. The modern use of railroads to ship loaded trailers began on the Chicago Great Western Railroad (the Corn Belt Route) in 1935 and became widespread in the 1950s. Originally a large number of trailers were railroad-owned, and loading and unloading was done 'circus-style' by driving the trailers onto a string of flatcars from one end. A major advance came in the 1960s with the advent of the first side-lift cranes, dramatically speeding up loading and unloading. Today the combination of trailer and container shipments, known collectively as intermodal, constitutes the largest class of freight on American railroads.
 
Features include intricately detailed and durable ABS bodes, metal wheels and axles, operating die cast metal couplers, die cast sprung metal 4-wheel trucks and colorful paint scheme.