Kato - 10-1731 - Box Set European Prototype - Rhaetian Railway - 8-Pack

Specific Item Information: Rail freight transport on each Rhaetian Railway line is an integral part of the lives of citizens who transport food, beverages and mail in the rugged mountainous regions of the Swiss Alps. Among them, the COOP refrigerated container, which is popular for its various design variations, and the container of Swiss Post, a state-owned company responsible for the Swiss postal business, are items that symbolize the lives of citizens found throughout Switzerland. You can see it being transported on a daily basis.

Model Information: Kato boxed sets for European Prototypes come in various shapes and sizes. These may contain complete train sets with track and power pack or may be as simple as a pair of passenger coaches. Many of the sets use "bookshelf" boxes with cardboard sleeves and carefully cut foam inserts.

Road Name History: The Rhaetian Railway (German: Rhätische Bahn, Italian: Ferrovia Retica, Romansh: Viafier Retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. The RhB operates all the railway lines of the Swiss Canton of Graub?nden/Grisons, except for the line from Sargans to the cantonal capital, Chur, which are operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), and the line from Disentis/Must?r to the Oberalp Pass, and further on to Andermatt, Uri, which is operated by Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB). Inaugurated in 1888 and expanded from 1896 onwards in various sections, the RhB network is located almost entirely within Graub?nden, with one station across the Italian border at Tirano.

The Rhaetian Railway serves a number of major tourist destinations, such as St Moritz and Davos. One of the RhB lines, the Bernina Railway, crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres (7,392 ft) above sea level and connects with the Italian railway network at Tirano, Lombardy.

In 2008, the RhB section from the Albula/Bernina area (the part from Thusis to Tirano, including St Moritz) was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Albula-Bernina line is the first rail line in the world to be photographed and put on Google Street View.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Kato Precision Railroad Models (関水金属株式会社 Sekisui Kinzoku Kabushikigaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of model railroad equipment in N and HO scales. The Tokyo-based company manufactures models based on Japanese prototypes (such as the Shinkansen bullet train) for the Japanese market, North American prototypes for the North American market and European high-speed trains for European market.
The Kato (pronounced kah-toe) model railroad companies were founded by Yuji Kato, father of current president Hiroshi Kato, of the parent company Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd.

The design and distribution of models for the North American market are handled by their U.S. subsidiary, Kato USA, located in Schaumburg, Illinois.
The design of special models for the European market is handled for some of them by their partner, Lemke, whereas the general distribution of Kato products in Europe is handled by NOCH; both companies are located in Germany.
As a result, some Kato European models are sold as Kato Lemke and others as Kato (alone).