Since 1982, the BethGon Coalporter has been hauling "black diamonds" across the United States. The largest selling Coal Gondola in the world, the car's double tub design increases hauling capacity while reducing maintenance requirements. Tubs below the car lower the center of gravity, providing a smoother ride.

Today, coal is no longer sold at the volume it once was in the United States, and many coal carrying railroad cars have sadly been left to rust. Bethgon Coalporters could transport 44,000 pounds of these "black diamonds", a necessity for the railroad in the era of a coal-driven country; therefore, a need of recycling these cars had to be found!

Since the use of grain for animal feed is popular for farmers in the western part of the United States, Bethgons proved up for the challenge and some were converted for use as a Protein Gondola. These covered gondolas are used in freight trains in the western and southern parts of the states in long, endless fleets providing useful feed for farm animals. Since the load of feed is biodegradable and therefore needs to be delivered as quickly as possible, trains carrying these long loads are given top priority on the rails.

• Coalporters: The removable coal load lets operators run full or empty between coalmine and terminal
• Protein Cars: These cars have a distinct "cap" which replicates the appearance of the roll-up tarp covering that protects the cars' contents from the elements
• The shock absorber construction and low-flange metal wheels provide smooth operation
• The internal bracing of the tub, close coupling between cars and detail lettering on these cars make them look just like the real equipment
• Available in 8 car sets, making it easy for modelers to assemble long unit trains
• Designed to complement the Kato SD40-2 Mid Production, SD70MAC, AC4400CW and C44-9 perfectly

The F-Unit is probably the most recognized diesel locomotive in North American history. It was found on railroads from East to West and North to South. Similar in appearance to its predecessor, the EMD F3, the EMD F7 was a 1500 hp multi-purpose locomotive. Although originally promoted as a freight-hauling unit by EMD, the F7 was also used in passenger service hauling such trains such as the Santa Fe Super Chief and the Great Northern Empire Builder. The F7 was the fourth model in GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series, and was for a long time (until the introduction of the EMD SD40-2 freight unit) was the best selling Diesel-electric locomotive ever made.

The Kato EMD F7 comes in both A and B (cabless) variations, and is retooled from earlier variations of the F-unit locomotive chassis to make it DCC friendly. Passenger units can be identified by their Steam Generators vs. freight units which lack this detail.

The F-Unit is probably the most recognized diesel locomotive in North American history. It was found on railroads from East to West and North to South. Similar in appearance to its predecessor, the EMD F3, the EMD F7 was a 1500 hp multi-purpose locomotive. Although originally promoted as a freight-hauling unit by EMD, the F7 was also used in passenger service hauling such trains such as the Santa Fe Super Chief and the Great Northern Empire Builder. The F7 was the fourth model in GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series, and was for a long time (until the introduction of the EMD SD40-2 freight unit) was the best selling Diesel-electric locomotive ever made.

The Kato EMD F7 comes in both A and B (cabless) variations, and is retooled from earlier variations of the F-unit locomotive chassis to make it DCC friendly. Passenger units can be identified by their Steam Generators vs. freight units which lack this detail.

When Amtrak took over the Santa Fe's "Super Chief" train, it originally retained the name of the classic silver streamlined service. In 1974, the name was changed from "Super Chief" to "Southwest Limited", a name it retained for 10 years before becoming the "Southwest Chief".

Like the Super Chief, the Southwest Limited was made up of a mixture of ACF, Pullman and Budd-built stainless steel cars, the same basic consist as the original Santa Fe Train. Like the Santa Fe had done before it, Amtrak combined the ex-Super Chief and ex-El Capitan Hi-level cars in its Southwest Limited service, the single-level cars being used as the 1st class portion of the consist.

The then-new EMD SDP40F was a prime candidate for use on the new Amtrak trains, replacing old Santa Fe E and F-units with newer and more recently built equipment. The SDP40F, despite being based off the core SD40-2 chassis, was geared for a higher maximum speed and given a passenger style full-width cab and body. The SDP40F's were used in multiple phases but lasted in Amtrak Service roughly as long as the "Southwest Limited" name, being transferred over primarily to freight service in 1985.