Fox Valley - 8311-01 - Open Hopper, 5-Bay Trinity RD IV - Commonwealth Edison - 9001

Model Information: This Fox Valley model was actually designed by Fox Valley and not acquired from another vendor such as their 5-Bay Ortner model. It is an excellent model; it has good detail and excellent printing. The body mount couplers and high quality chemically blackened low-profile wheels are both nice features. Also, as expected, they have the world-class Fox Valley blackened metal wheels, known to have accurate proportions as well as running smoothly and relatively quietly.

The one thing they got wrong is the cheesy load. It looks like they studied the loads from the Red Caboose/Precision Masters models that they acquired and decided "well if modelers will settle for that, I guess we don't need to work very hard to make something better". And that is what they got - something that is not better, but should be. Fortunately with a little patience you can remove the factory loads and put your own in. They are not glued in.

Prototype History: The 1960s brought about a growth in car size (and capacity). Railroads that transported coal moved away from the older 2-bay 55-ton USRA standard to newer railcars. The Trinity RD IV (or RD-4) has a 4200 cubic foot capacity and is principally used for coal. They are 53 foot 1inches long. And have been used by power plants as well as commercial railroads. The cars are recognizable from their alternating six-thin-and-five-thick exterior post pattern. Information about this railcar can be found in the Simmons-Boardman 1997 Car & Locomotive Cyclopedia.

Road Name History: Commonwealth Edison, commonly known as ComEd, is the largest electric utility in Illinois, and the sole electric provider in Chicago and much of Northern Illinois. Its service territory stretches roughly from Iroquois County to the south, the Wisconsin border to the north, the Iowa border to the west, and the Indiana border to the east.

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.