Deluxe Innovations - 101102 - Gondola, Woodchip - Pend Oreille Valley - 35226 35221

Model Information: This model comes in both "Smoothside" and "Shallow-Rib" variations.

Prototype History: Although they are one of the lightest loads carried by rail, they require one of the biggest cars! Wood chips are big business for today's saw mills and lumber operations. Once burned as scrap or fuel-on-site, these by-products of the lumber industry are purchased by paper companies and used to make paper.

Specially designed for the pulp and paper industry, these cars can hold up to 6,800 cubic feet of pulpwood chips. Open-top gondolas without doors, end doors or bottom gates are designed for top loading. Unloading can be performed by top, end or bottom, depending on car design.

Road Name History: First of all, Pend Oreille is pronounced “Ponderay.” POVA runs between Metaline Falls, Washington and Dover, Idaho. Customers include Ponderay Newsprint, Bell Pole, TriPro Cedar Products, Dynonobel, Mountain West Bark, Stimson Lumber, and Idaho Forest Products. The company was launched in 1979 when the Port of Pend Oreille bought the branch from Mataline Falls to Newport from Milwaukee Road who was in the process of abandoning their line to the Pacific. For the first five years, operations were handled by the Kyle Railways shortline group before the Port of Pend Oreille took over operation on their own. In 1998, BNSF sold POVA the link from Newport to Dover. Excursions occasionally are run on the line from Ione to Matline Falls.

Brand/Importer Information: DeLuxe Innovations is a "wholesale manufacturer" of model trains. We manufacture scale replica train models and sell them to hobby shops and distributors worldwide. 2013 marked the 20 year anniversary of DeLuxe Innovations brand trains. There are over 25 body styles in our product line and all of the cars in our single and multi-car packs have different road numbers. DeLuxe Innovations, Inc. is owned by Dave Ferrari, founder of Squeak N Products. We are located in Midland Park, New Jersey. When Dave purchased the business it was located in Burbank, California which would have been a bit of a long commute so the move to the East Coast was planned. Our first East Coast location was in Whippany, NJ along the Whippany River.

The business was started in 1993 by George Johnsen and Roberta Liebreich in Burbank, California. They had a philosophy that just wouldn't allow using a coal car as a "stand in" for a woodchip car, or printing any and all boxcar paint schemes on a PS-1. Starting with the release of the first ever etched metal parts for a ready to run car (1994's Twinstack's metal walkways) through the full dimension underframe and etched metal roofwalk (1996's 1944 AAR Boxcar) to the challenging RoadRailer system (2000), our products have been accurate to target the modeler or enthusiast.

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