Kato USA - 106-6111 - 1st release - TTX Company - 253512

Specific Item Information: 1st release

Model Information: The powerful appearance of this articulated car will be achieved using a metal injection-molded frame, enhanced by the extensive detail of piping and patterned running boards. Like the prototype, the model will feature two different sized wheels! The two end trucks will have 33” scale wheels while the two middle trucks will have 38” scale wheels. (This is done on the prototype for weight bearing reasons, with the greater weight of the load being borne by the wheels of the mid-car trucks than by the wheels of the trucks on each end.)

• Provides stable operation with or without container loads due to Kato’s new innovative heavier material steel compound plastic used for the construction of the well car.
• Each container has a magnet and a metal plate to hold it securely to the well car bottom or to the top of the lower Kato container.
• Shock absorber construction provides smooth and stable operation, with or without the container loads.
• The KATO Kinematic trucks will maintain the prototypical appearance on straight track while delivering smooth operation on curved track.
• Each 3-well MAXI-IV set includes six removable 53-foot containers, all of which are interchangeable with our other container sets or MAXI-I Well Cars (when loaded in the top position, just like the prototype).
• Our packaging is designed for the separated storage of the articulated unit, providing ease and security when not in use.

Prototype History: Intermodal container service is one of the most popular types of freight service on rails today. The Maxi-Stack IV car is the mainstay of the U.S. domestic double-stack car fleet. Providing an optimum balance between tare weight and capacity, the Gunderson Maxi-Stack IV is a 3-unit articulated double-stack car that can handle containers from 20-foot to 53-foot long in the well and containers 40-foot to 57-foot in the top, or double-stacked, position. As of a result of its versatility and sturdy construction, the Maxi-Stack IV is now the mainstay of the U.S. domestic double-stack fleet. The popularity of this car on North American rails is underscored by its popularity with model railroaders today!

Road Name History: TTX Company (formerly Trailer Train until 1991) is a leading provider of railcars and related freight car management services to the North American rail industry. TTX's pool of railcars (over 220,000 cars and intermodal wells) is ideal for supporting shippers in the intermodal, automotive, paper & forest, metals, machinery, wind energy and other markets where flatcars, boxcars and gondolas are required.

Owned by North America's leading railroads, TTX's free-running pools provide fungible assets that minimize total empty miles, further lowering costs and minimizing risk for the industry, helping the railroads conserve their capital for other critical infrastructure needs. Customers easily recognize TTX's bright yellow cars as a consistent, high quality, well-maintained fleet that serves many transportation needs.

Brand/Importer Information: KATO U.S.A. was established in 1986, with the first U.S. locomotive model (the GP38-2, in N-Scale) released in 1987. Since that time, KATO has come to be known as one of the leading manufacturers of precision railroad products for the modeling community. KATO's parent company, Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

In addition to producing ready-to-run HO and N scale models that are universally hailed for their high level of detail, craftsmanship and operation, KATO also manufactures UNITRACK. UNITRACK is the finest rail & roadbed modular track system available to modelers today. With the track and roadbed integrated into a single piece, UNITRACK features a nickel-silver rail and a realistic-looking roadbed. Patented UNIJOINERS allow sections to be snapped together quickly and securely, time after time if necessary.

The Kato U.S.A. office and warehouse facility is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, approximately 30 miles northwest of Chicago. All research & development of new North American products is performed here, in addition to the sales and distribution of merchandise to a vast network of wholesale representatives and retail dealers. Models requiring service sent in by hobbyists are usually attended to at this location as well. The manufacturing of all KATO products is performed in Japan.

Supporters of KATO should note that there is currently no showroom or operating exhibit of models at the Schaumburg facility. Furthermore, model parts are the only merchandise sold directly to consumers. (Please view the Parts Catalog of this website for more specific information.)