Fox Valley - 8081-3 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, FMC, 5283 - Southern Pacific - 245073

Model Information: These models were introduced by Fox Valley in 2007. The model is made in China and clearly marked as such on the bottom. It is a model of the FMC (Food Machinery Co) 5283 c.f. Double Door boxcar. It features Micro-Trains body-mount couplers. The wheels are the typical high-quality blackened metal variety tat Fox Valley is famous for. The print quality is excellent. The underframe is a little simple, but at least it is a solid step up from some of the body styles they acquired from other manufacturers. It has some very nice details in the separately applied etched-metal platforms on each end. The ladders and placards, however, are molded in. This helps keep the cost down but never looks as nice as when these are detail parts.

Prototype History: In the 1970's with the growth of the Per Diem business model, FMC produced a series of 50 foot box cars in different configurations. The double-sliding-door configuration is one common variation that was used by many different railroads. FMC provided a large number of box cars for SSI, Itel, Brae, and Rex. Due to the economic recession which began in late 1979, most these cars were soon transferred to other railroads one or more times. By the 1990s, most had been acquired by GE. They continued to change hands nearly every time a lease expired, or they were rebuilt. The renumberings of GE owned cars are often very complex, but some of the most commonly seen reporting marks are EEC, HS, and SRN.

The XM-class, 50-foot, double door, 5283 cubic foot capacity boxcars, were one of the later variations in this series. Records show that some (but likely not all) were built between May and June 1977 by FMC in Portland, OR.

Road Name History: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (reporting mark SP), earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually called the Southern Pacific or (from the railroad's initials) Espee, was an American Class I railroad. It was absorbed in 1988 by the company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and eight years later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease. By 1900 the Southern Pacific Company was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad. It extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso, across New Mexico and through Tucson, to Los Angeles, through most of California, including San Francisco and Sacramento. Central Pacific lines extended east across Nevada to Ogden, Utah, and reached north through Oregon to Portland. Other subsidiaries eventually included the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt), the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at 328 miles (528 km), the 1,331 miles (2,142 km) Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, and a variety of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge routes.

In 1929 SP/T&NO operated 13848 route-miles not including Cotton Belt, whose purchase of the Golden State Route circa 1980 nearly doubled its size to 3,085 miles (4,965 km), bringing total SP/SSW mileage to around 13,508 miles (21,739 km).

By the 1980s route mileage had dropped to 10,423 miles (16,774 km), mainly due to the pruning of branch lines. In 1988 the Southern Pacific was taken over by D&RGW parent Rio Grande Industries. The combined railroad kept the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both constituent railroads. Along with the addition of the SPCSL Corporation route from Chicago to St. Louis, the total length of the D&RGW/SP/SSW system was 15,959 miles (25,684 km).

By 1996 years of financial problems had dropped SP's mileage to 13,715 miles (22,072 km), and it was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad.

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.