Fox Valley Models HO Scale PSC 70-Ton Ore Car, Bessemer & Lake Erie/B&LE

Railroads have been using cars to transport iron ore since the late 1800s. Initially, these cars were made of wood and measured about 24 feet in length to accommodate the heavy, dense loads of iron ore. In the early 1900s, steel cars began to replace the wooden ones. These stronger cars could carry larger payloads, yet they still retained the short, characteristic design of ore "jennies." This was partly because the iron ore loads remained extremely heavy, leading to larger cars capable of handling 50-ton, and later 70-ton, capacities. Additionally, many of the large ore docks in use at the time had fixed-length ore pockets that were designed to align with the 24-foot cars, further reinforcing the continued use of shorter car designs.

Starting in the 1960s, a new form of ore called Taconite was developed. This processed the raw ore into small pellets, creating a less dense load. Because of this, the standard ore car could handle a large volume. Side extensions were added to many cars to handle the larger (now lighter) loads.

Our Fox Valley Models™ HO Scale car is based on the Pressed Steel Car Company U25 Class, built for the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range in 1948. A series of 500 were built in this group, with several other classes following, plus thousands of similar cars manufactured by other builders.