Fox Valley - 80924 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, FMC, 5283 - McCloud River - 2387

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 MCR was originally built as the McCloud River Railroad chartered on January 22, 1897, as a forest railway bringing logs to the company sawmill on the Southern Pacific Railroad at a place called Upton a few miles north of Mount Shasta, California. By 1901 the company sawmill was moved to McCloud, and the distance for hauling lumber produced at McCloud was reduced to 17.8 miles (28.6 km) by shifting the junction south to Mount Shasta in 1906. The locomotives shifted from wood to oil fuel as the railroad extended into the forests east of McCloud in 1907. Trains brought logs to the McCloud sawmill from the east, and carried lumber from the sawmill west to the Southern Pacific.

The railroad remained primarily a logging railroad with several different owners over the following years including: U.S. Plywood Corporation (1963), U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers (1969), Champion International (1972), and Itel Corporation (1977). The railroad was sold to Jeff E. and Verline Forbis (4-Rails, Inc.) on July 1, 1992. On June 28, 2005, the railroad petitioned the STB to abandon most of its line. Service on all line east of the McCloud Sawmill (now abandoned) has been terminated. A small section of line between McCloud CA and Mount Shasta CA remained open briefly for excursion and dinner train service. As timber demand declined, the railroad slowly cut back although new ownership also led to its downfall. In 2009, the railroad ceased operation and closed down. The property is now for sale as a rail/trail as of 2012.

From 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.