Micro-Trains - 139 00 031 - Flatcar, 70 Foot, Straight Side - United States Transportation Corps - 2465

Specific Item Information: Newly developed weapons of war are quickly put into action against the Martians. The classic science fiction novel War of the Worlds, first published by H.G. Wells in 1898, chronicles an Earth invasion by Martians, and humanity’s attempt to retake the planet. This novel-inspired freight car is decorated in a patriotic billboard scheme, featuring drawings from the 1906 edition, illustrated by Henrique Alvim Corrêa.

Road Name History: The Transportation Corps was established 31 July 1942 by Executive Order 9082. The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army, and was headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia, but moved to Fort Lee, Virginia in 2010. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Quartermaster Corps and the Ordnance Corps. The Transportation Corps is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. Its motto is "Spearhead of Logistics," and it is currently the third smallest branch of the Army.

The officer in charge of the branch for doctrine, training, and professional development purposes is the Chief of Transportation (COT). The current Chief of Transportation is Brigadier General Michel M. Russell, Sr.

The insignia is metallic gold and brick red enamel. Surrounding a mariner's wheel is a shield representing a U.S. highway marker. Superimposed on the shield is a winged rail wheel on a railroad track. The symbols represent the four major modes of transportation: marine, road, aviation, and rail.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.

Manufacturer Information: Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.

Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide