Rivarossi Milwaukee Road Box Car with Sliding Door HO Scale Train HR6584B

The Milwaukee Road, with its humble ambitions, had a rather strained history as it stretched all the way from Louisville, Kentucky to the Puget Sound, briefly becoming the longest end-to-end railroad in the United States. Beginning in 1850, the company laid its first 5 miles of track between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, gradually expanding to reach the Mississippi River by 1857.

Driven by the need to keep up with the competition of other large railroads expanding westward, the Milwaukee Road commenced on an ambitious project to conquer the mountain ranges and reach the Pacific Northwest. Completed in 1909, the 2,300-mile route was constructed in just three years, but the exorbitant cost proved to be a financial burden that the company never fully recovered from, leading to several bankruptcies over the following decades and its eventual dissolution in 1977.

During the steam era, the high mountains of Montana posed a significant challenge, as the freezing temperatures made passage difficult. However, the advent of diesel locomotives eventually allowed the Milwaukee Road to overcome this obstacle, with their boxcars being regularly pulled by first and second-generation diesel locomotives or late steam engines from 1955 to 1975.

These highly detailed and authentically liveried boxcars, manufactured by the Italian company Rivarossi, now part of the Hornby Hobbies family, are made using high-quality construction materials and come equipped with knuckle couplers and metal road wheels, featuring sliding doors. Boxcars played a crucial role in transporting a wide range of crated or palletized freight across the country, protecting the goods from the elements during the long haul to their destinations.

The transition from the originally short-lived wooden boxcars, which often degraded and posed fire hazards, to the more durable steel-framed second and third-generation models, based on designs by the American Car and Foundry Company, marked a significant improvement in the reliability and safety of freight transportation.

Hornby Hobbies, a renowned name in the world of model railways, offers a comprehensive range of products to cater to the needs of enthusiasts, from train sets and locomotives to a diverse selection of rolling stock, including coaches, wagons, and freight cars, as well as track and other accessories. Catering to both classic and modern tastes, Hornby's offerings provide something for everyone, making it easier than ever to build and customize your dream model railway layout.

To bring your layout to life, Hornby also offers complementary brands such as Skaledale and Skale Scenics, which provide a wealth of realistic buildings, monuments, and even trees, allowing you to add immersive details and enhance the realism of your model railway experience.

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