MTH 30-1464-1 SP 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward Steam Locomotive w/PS2 #4275 – Model Train Junction: Quality Parts and Art Supplies

This is an MTH 30-1464-1 Southern Pacific 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward Steam Engine with Proto-Sound 2.0, Cab #4275. Part of the first transcontinental railroad, the Southern Pacific’s passage over the Sierra Nevadas, from Sparks, Nevada to Roseville, California, has always been a challenge for man and machine. Grades in both directions approximate 2.5%. Thirty-nine tunnels and nearly 40 miles of snow sheds protect the track from snowdrifts and avalanches – Sierra Nevada, after all, is Spanish for “snow covered.” Seeking more muscle for this route, the SP took delivery of two Baldwin articulated 2-8-8-2s in 1909. Initial trails, however, revealed that heat and exhaust gases in the tunnels and snowsheds made life nearly unbearable for the engine crew. Although cab forwards had been tried before in Italy and northern California, legend has it the SP cab forwards were inspired by an engineer who turned a Baldwin articulated around and ran it tender-first, putting the smoke behind him so he could breathe while he did his job.

The first true Southern Pacific Cab Forwards were delivered in March of 1910 and proved so successful that the SP eventually bought 254 more in various classes. Because the firebox and tender were at opposite ends of the locomotive, the cab forwards burned oil, piped under pressure from the tender to the firebox. The cab in front gave the engineer the best forward visibility of any steam locomotive. Engine 4294, the inspiration for our RailKing replica, was the last new steam engine delivered to the Southern Pacific and is today a centerpiece display on the main floor of the California State Railroad Museum.

Last offered in 1999, the Cab Forward returns to the RailKing lineup in 2007, upgraded with Proto-Sound 2.0 and new Imperial features, including legible builder’s plates, painted backhead gauges, cab interior light, tender truck safety chains, and marker lights with individual LED illumination. Features include Die-Cast Metal Chassis, Metal Wheels and Axles, Metal Handrails and Decorative Bell, Decorative Metal Whistle, Operating Marker Lights, Die-Cast Boiler and Tender Body, Constant Voltage Headlight, Die-Cast Truck Sides, Colorful Paint Scheme, Remote Controlled Proto-Coupler, Synchronized Puffing ProtoSmoker System, Locomotive Speed Control, Engineer Cab Figure, (2) Precision Flywheel Equipped Motors, Proto-Sound 2.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring: Freight Yard Proto-Effects Unit Measures: 27 1/2″ x 2 9/16″ 4″, and it Operates On O-31 Curves.

Condition: Factory New (C-9)
Operational Status: Functional
Original Box: Yes (P-9)

Manufacturer: MTH
Model Number: 30-1464-1
Years Manufactured: 2007 – ????
Road Name: Southern Pacific (SP)
MSRP: $699.99

Scale/Era: O Modern
Model Type: Steam Loco

The Trainz SKU for this item is P11439699.

Trainz Product Id: 11439699