Fox Valley - 83254 - Open Hopper, 5-Bay Trinity RD IV - Dimensional Data

Model Information: This Fox Valley model was actually designed by Fox Valley and not acquired from another vendor such as their 5-Bay Ortner model. It is an excellent model; it has good detail and excellent printing. The body mount couplers and high quality chemically blackened low-profile wheels are both nice features. Also, as expected, they have the world-class Fox Valley blackened metal wheels, known to have accurate proportions as well as running smoothly and relatively quietly.

The one thing they got wrong is the cheesy load. It looks like they studied the loads from the Red Caboose/Precision Masters models that they acquired and decided "well if modelers will settle for that, I guess we don't need to work very hard to make something better". And that is what they got - something that is not better, but should be. Fortunately with a little patience you can remove the factory loads and put your own in. They are not glued in.

Prototype History: The 1960s brought about a growth in car size (and capacity). Railroads that transported coal moved away from the older 2-bay 55-ton USRA standard to newer railcars. The Trinity RD IV (or RD-4) has a 4200 cubic foot capacity and is principally used for coal. They are 53 foot 1inches long. And have been used by power plants as well as commercial railroads. The cars are recognizable from their alternating six-thin-and-five-thick exterior post pattern. Information about this railcar can be found in the Simmons-Boardman 1997 Car & Locomotive Cyclopedia.

Road Name History: "Dimensional Data" here means painted models with printed body specifications and no road/reporting letters/marks or road Name/livery. The data typically consists of internal and external dimensions, capacities, weight information and specific characteristics of freight cars, trailers and containers.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) sets standards for the uniform marking of freight cars with regard to car ownership, weight, load capacity, dimensions, and maintenance. In addition, car owners choose to display data relating to various devices and equipment so the cars may be properly used and repaired.

CAPY (nominal capacity) is the intended load-carrying capacity of the car, to the nearest 1000 pounds. This is determined by the structural strength of the car's underframe and the size of the journal bearings of the car's trucks.

LD LMT (load limit) is the maximum weight of lading that can be carried by the car, to the nearest 100 pounds. This is determined by subtracting the weight of the car when empty from the total allowable gross weight given the size of the car's journal bearings. The load limit for a car is usually a bit greater than its capacity; the two figures can be equal, but capacity can never exceed load limit.

LT WT (light, or empty, weight) is the weight of the car when empty. Accompanying the light weight marking is a date indicating when the railroad or owner last verified the car's weight. The letters for this mark are not always reporting marks; sometimes a location code is used. NEW and a date indicates that the weight shown is the car's as-built weight, and that it hasn't been field-checked since.

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.