LBF Company - 5110 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, Trinity 5161 - Boraxo - 12 Different Available

Prototype History: TrinityRail’s extensive railcar product portfolio has a complete line of covered hopper cars including a 5,161 cubic foot covered hopper car optimized to transport agricultural products, sugar, dry chemicals, or other similar products. In 1995, Trinity Industries introduced a new center-sill design covered hopper car designed primarily for grain transport. The new design was visually quite different - this one featured curved sides versus previously familiar rib-sided design adopted from Pullman-Standard.

Road Name History: Boraxo began as a product of the former Pacific Coast Borax Company (later bought by U.S. Borax), and became known as one of the sponsoring products of the long-running radio and television Western, Death Valley Days. While future President Ronald Reagan was host of this program, he frequently did commercials for it, including one at his ranch involving his family.

Until about 2010, the product was sold in a cylindrical, foil lined, paper tube can having a rust-resistant bottom. The bottom had a white, paint-like coating. This worked well such that a container left on a counter that regularly got wet never rusted or left a ring. Prior to this packaging, during the 1960s, the product was packaged in a distinctively-shaped seamed steel can with upright vertical sides and an oval cross-section, with a small rotating non-removable steel cap centered on top which had a small offset oval hole facing upward, which allowed the product to be poured when the cap's hole was turned to align with a hole beneath it and the can was inverted and shaken. Besides the distinctive 20-mule team logo, the can bore a three-step instructional narrative which concluded with the words "Your hands are now smooth, soft, and beautifully clean."

Brand/Importer Information: The LBF company was based in Roseburg Oregon founded by Fred Becker. LBF was the successor company to E&C Shops, also founded by Becker. LBF also did business under the name USA Plastics. USA Plastics/LBF opened for business in 1993. They produced N Scale models using toolings purchased from the E&C Company. Later, in 1998, LBF folded and the toolings were sold to Hubert's Model RR Manufacturing group which was also located in Roseburg. Hubert had been one of Becker's partners in LBF/USA Plastics. Later, when Hubert's operation folded, the toolings were acquired by InterMountain.