Fox Valley - 8084-4 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, FMC, 5283 - Ontario Northland - 2808

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 Ontario Northland Railway (reporting mark ONT) is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario.

Its north-south mainline is located entirely in Ontario, and has a southern terminus at North Bay, passing through Cochrane, and a northern terminus at Moosonee, several miles south of the shore of James Bay. An east-west secondary mainline connects Calstock (near Hearst) with Cochrane, and a line extends from Swastika (south of Cochrane) into the neighbouring province of Quebec, where it terminates at Rouyn-Noranda. The railway's branch from Swastika to Rouyn-Noranda, including 40 kilometres of track in Quebec, is operated by a subsidiary, the Nipissing Central Railway. Shorter spur lines also exist running west from Rock Junction to Sherman Mine, south-west from Porquis Junction to Kidd Creek Mine, about 22 km east of Timmins, north-east from Porquis to Iroquois Falls and south from Opaz Junction to Agrium mine site.

Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming and Lake Nipissing areas, the railway soon became a major factor in the economic growth of the province. After decades of difficult construction through the Canadian Shield, workers reached James Bay in 1932. While blasting the route through the shield, geologists discovered deposits of valuable minerals such as gold, silver, copper and nickel. The railway also made it possible to exploit the timber resources of Northern Ontario.

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.