Fox Valley - 81903 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, Canstock - Baltimore & Ohio - 480835

Model Information: Fox Valley first announced this model in March of 2013 with a target delivery date of December 2013. The model features offset doors and a simulated Fiberglas roof panel. The Fox Valley model has a one-piece body with a separate roof. The fourth panel from the B end is painted white to simulate the translucent material used on the full-size cars. The model depicts the modified diagonal panel shape of this piece as well. As the cars were rebuilt, the translucent roof panels were replaced with steel panels. The model decorated for CSX has this feature, and new doors.

The tooling has a molded underframe with detail that includes the brake cylinder, reservoir, triple valve, piping, and brake mechanism. The model is within inches of prototype dimensions except for overall length. The full-size cars have cushioned underframes that extend past the end sills, but the model’s draft gear is flush with the end of the car. The body-mounted magnetic couplers are set at the correct height. All grab irons and ladders are molded on, but there are separate etched-metal crossover platforms and a separately applied brake wheel. The free-rolling metal wheelsets are in gauge and operated fine on code 55 track. The car weighs 1.2 ounces, slightly over the National Model Railroad Association recommended weight for a 50-foot car.

Road Name History: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks B&O, BO) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal (which served New York City) and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which would have connected Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore west to Sandy Hook. At this point to continue westward, it had to cross into Virginia (now West Virginia) over the Potomac River, adjacent to the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. From there it passed through Virginia from Harpers Ferry to a point just west of the junction of Patterson Creek and the North Branch Potomac River where it crossed back into Maryland to reach Cumberland. From there it was extended to the Ohio River at Wheeling and a few years later also to Parkersburg, West Virginia.

It is now part of the CSX Transportation (CSX) network, and includes the oldest operational railroad bridge in the USA. The B&O also included the Leiper Railroad, the first permanent horse-drawn railroad in the U.S. In later years, B&O advertising carried the motto: "Linking 13 Great States with the Nation." Part of the B&O Railroad's immortality has come from being one of the four featured railroads on the U.S. version of the board game Monopoly, but it is the only railroad on the board which did not serve Atlantic City, New Jersey, directly.

When CSX established the B&O Railroad Museum as a separate entity from the corporation, some of the former B&O Mount Clare Shops in Baltimore, including the Mt. Clare roundhouse, were donated to the museum while the rest of the property was sold. The B&O Warehouse at the Camden Yards rail junction in Baltimore now dominates the view over the right-field wall at the Baltimore Orioles' current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

At the end of 1970 B&O operated 5552 miles of road and 10449 miles of track, not including the Staten Island Rapid Transit (SIRT) or the Reading and its subsidiaries.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: Fox Valley Models is a small supplier of model railroad and related products. FVM started by finding solutions to different challenges that model railroaders were faced with. Our first products resulted from a need to equip custom built passenger cars with tinted windows made of an ideal material; thin, flexible, easy to cut, simple to install, available in multiple colors and be affordable. We met those needs and even included a frosted version for the car's lavatory windows.

Other challenges inspired additional products including wooden grade crossings, trestles and different lineside structures. As our product line expands, input and requests from friends and customers help shape the product selection further.

Future products, under development, include more parts, structures, details and rolling stock. We strive to offer a good quality product at an affordable price.