Brawa - 67492 - Reefer, 2-Axle, Beer Car - Mercier - 600390

Prototype History: The proliferation of the rail system in Europe in the later part of the 19th century provided ample opportunity for various breweries to expand the reach of their product. They jumped at the chance to move their product over long distances with ease. They also were aggressive with the advertising on the sides of these railcars. These cars were typically small (less than 40 feet) and ran on two axles.

Some cars were only for use in (slow) loose-coupled ordinary goods trains. Other types common in Ep I-III had footboards and hand grips along the length of the wagon (Laufbrettern und Handgriffen), to enable them to be used in (faster) Personenzug, where the guard needed to access the whole train.

Road Name History: Mercier is a Champagne producer based in the Épernay region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1858 by Eugène Mercier (who died in 1904), produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvée, which is stored in 18 km (11 mi) long cellar tunnels located 30 m (98 ft) underground. Parts of the cellar are open to the public, where visitors can use rail carts to navigate the tunnels. Today, the house owns 576 ha (1,423 acres) of vineyards. Mercier owned the original rights to the name Dom Pérignon but gave the brand to Moët et Chandon in 1927. Today the house is under the umbrella of the LVMH group and is the number one selling brand of Champagne in the domestic French marketFrom Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Brawa Artur Braun Modellspielwarenfabrik GmbH & Co. was founded in 1948 by Artur Braun in Waiblingen, Germany, to distribute model trains from other toy makers; eventually they began to manufacture their own lighting accessories such as streetlights and signals. In 1963 they acquired the complete line of motorized trolleybus and ski lift models from Eheim. They also began to expand their own line to include scenery items, and by 1993 they'd added locomotives and rolling stock to their product range. This medium-sized business is today jointly managed by the second and third generations of the Braun family: Günter Braun, son of the founder, and his daughter Katrin Braun are the company's managing partners.
Brawa range covers HO, O and N scales. The N scale range is focused on European rolling-stock, German locomotives and accessories like signals, streetlights, clocks and telephone booths.

Here is how the company describes itself:
At BRAWA, continuity and sustainable thinking and action - as the particular strengths of a family business - have a double impact. Changes are carefully considered and strategic decisions taken on the basis of a long-term vision, thus enabling the company to respond quickly and deliberately to the demands of the market. In addition, cross-generation collaboration ensures a vibrant coexistence of tradition and innovation.
In short, our future course is set and all signals are pointing towards continuity and growth. Our presence at our site in Remshalden shows our commitment to this area and highlights the sustainable nature of our company's location in the region. Sustainability is, as it were, an intrinsic value of our family business.