Unit coal trains provide one of the most important resources in railroading. Seemingly endless strings of coal cars carry their load of black diamonds to power plants around the country. Out west, the mighty Burlington Northern reigned supreme. They favored the aluminum bathtub gondola, such as those built by Johnstown America, for coal hauling as they saved weight yet did not sacrifice strength. They used powerful diesel locomotives like the SD-70MAC to pull their unit coal trains across Big Sky country. The SD-70MAC is a 4,000 horsepower brute that proved well-suited to haul a mile long train. General Motors introduced the SD-70MAC in 1992. The scale-sized TMCC-equipped Lionel version of this modern freighter includes the Odyssey System for speed control and the RailSounds sound system featuring some of the most realistic diesel locomotive effects in O gauge railroading. The brilliant green paint scheme includes sharp graphics and accurate readable warning stencils. Each bathtub gondola features the revolutionary Lionel rotary coupler. When used with the Lionel Rotary Coal Tipple operating accessory (see Lionel Classic Trains vol. 1 2002), the bathtub gondolas function just like the prototype. Without uncoupling, each car is rotated and unloaded. In the tradition of modern caboose-less railroading, a flashing red End-of-Train-Device is mounted on the rear of the last car.