Minitrix - 18702 - Flatcar, Container, Epoch IV - Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn - 3-Pack

Specific Item Information: One type Sgns 694 container transport car loaded with two 20-foot "MSC" containers, one type Sdkms 707 deep-well flat car loaded with a semi-truck rig for "Hamburger Spedition" (Hamburg Freight Forwarders), and one type Rs 684 flat car loaded with a 40-foot sea container for combined load service on the German Federal Railroad (DB). The cars and loads look as they did around 1988.

Model Information: This model dates to the early days of N scale (late 60's / early 70's). It was primarily imported by Minitrix / Model Power. AFAIK, they all came with two containers. I don't know what specific prototype this model might be based on (if any), but generally speaking, flat cars like these first entered service in the 1960's. They were designed to accommodate the latest 40' trailers that were just being introduced on the nation's highways. Each flat car was set up to transport two of the trailers. Subsequently, these dedicated TOFC (Trailer On Flat Car) flatcars became the defacto standard for intermodal service during this era. spookshow.net/freight/roco86flat.html

Road Name History: AAE Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn AG mit Sitz in Baar (Schweiz) war mit 30'000 Güterwagen einer der grössten privatwirtschaftlichen Güterwagenvermieter in Europa.[2] Sie gehört seit Anfang 2015 zur VTG AG. Zunächst wurden die Waggons mit einer neuen Logo-Kombination aus dem VTG-Logo und den AAE-Schriftzeichen versehen. 2018 ist die Eingliederung in die VTG weitgehend vollzogen, die Vermietung der Waggons erfolgt über die VTG. Waggons tragen aber noch das Halterkürzel AAEC. Niederlassungen bestanden in allen grösseren europäischen Ländern. Instandsetzungen und Hauptuntersuchungen der Güterwagen wurden europaweit durchgeführt. Zur Organisation des operativen Geschäfts wurden drei Gesellschaften nach luxemburgischen Recht gegründet (AAE Railcar S.à.r.l., AAE RaiLease S.à r.l. und AAE Wagon Finance S.A.). Die AAE ist auch Mitglied im internationalen Eisenbahnverband UIC.

Brand/Importer Information: Trix is a German company that originally made Trix metal construction sets. one of its co-founders was Stephan Bing, the son of the pioneer toy-maker industrialist Ignaz Bing. In 1935 the company began producing the electrically powered model trains that it became famous for, under the Trix Express label. Prior to the outbreak of World War II the Trix company produced a small range of fairly unrealistic AC powered three rail models running at 14 volts.

N gauge models under the Minitrix brand were made from the late 1960s mostly of European prototypes (German and British primarily). North American prototypes were also manufactured and marketed under the Aurora "Postage Stamp" brand; later these items were sold under the American Tortoise, Model Power and Con-Cor brands. Trix sometimes utilized North American consultants to aid in the design of this portion of the product line. The "Hornby Minitrix' brand was used in the 1980s for a short lived range of British outline models using the earlier product tooling.

Trix's owner in the 1980s and 1990s was Mangold, which went bankrupt in the late 1990s and Märklin purchased the assets in January 1997. In part, this purchase was a reflection of Märklin's need for added production capacity; Trix had been manufacturing certain items for Märklin in previous years. The purchase was also in response to the earlier purchase of the Karl Arnold company by the Italian company Rivarossi; Märklin were very keen to take over Trix market share in 2-rail H0 and especially Minitrix, until then Märklin had not marketed N gauge models. In 2003, Märklin introduced its first N gauge models under the well established Minitrix brand. A number Märklin H0 scale three-rail AC locomotives have also been introduced in two-rail DC versions under the Trix logo and many models are shared between the two brands.

From Wikipedia