(Mini)Trix model made in . . . Austria?

[peteski]

I recently acquired a vintage Trix caboose.  I guess back then they did not use the name Minitrix for their N scale offerings.  But what surprised me the most was what I found molded in the floor.



Made in Austria?  Many Minitrix models have passed through my hands over the years, yet I have never seen one made in Austria.  Usually they show as being made in Germany or Western Germany.  Trix is a German company which AFAIK, never had a facility in Austria.

The only N scale models I know of being made in Austria were Roco.  Of course Atlas, Con-Cor, and maybe some other American companies had models made by Roco, but Trix/Minitrix also?  Did Trix contract Roco to produce some of their models?  Does anybody have about this? Not that it really matters, but I'm curious.

[spookshow]

All of Minitrix's USA prototype freight cars were made by Roco. EDIT: their shorty streamliners were their only USA rolling stock actually made in Germany.



-Mark

[peteski]

Interesting - thanks Mark!  I guess I need to spend more tiem on your website, besides just visiting the locomotives and trucks (bogies) sections. I'm pretty sure I have one of those shorty passenger cars stashed somewhere - I'll have to check it out.

EDIT: I'm confused.  I went and checked out the info about those shorty cars in the photo above. There you state "Unlike their line of freight cars (which were manufactured in Austria by Roco), these 73' models were actually made at Minitrix's West German factory.".  So these were *NOT* made by Roco?  Are those cars still marked Austria or West Germany?

[spookshow]

EDIT: I'm confused.  I went and checked out the info about those shorty cars in the photo above. There you state "Unlike their line of freight cars (which were manufactured in Austria by Roco), these 73' models were actually made at Minitrix's West German factory.".  So these were *NOT* made by Roco?  Are those cars still marked Austria or West Germany?

Whoops, my mistake - I misread my own page. Yes, the shorties were stamped Germany, not Austria 

-Mark

[DKS]

Yup. Shorties made in Germany. All freight cars* in Austria by Roco. Actually, Roco made freight cars for nearly everyone at the time.

Roco's N Scale freight cars were positively ubiquitous, appearing under the AHM, Aurora Postage Stamp, ATI, Atlas, Con-Cor, Model Power, MRC, PMI, Parkway and Trix brands, among others.

http://davidksmith.com/birth-of-n/roco.htm

At the very least, genuine Postage Stamp freight cars will:

be branded "TRIX AUSTRIA"

http://davidksmith.com/postage-stamp-trains/genuine_cars.htm

Unlike the freight cars, which were manufactured by Roco in Austria, the Postage Stamp passenger cars were manufactured by Trix in Western Germany, although Trix didn't brand them.

http://davidksmith.com/postage-stamp-trains/passenger_cars.htm

*Having said all of this, there was ONE freight car I knew of that was made in Germany, and that was the depressed center flatcar (or transformer car). Then again, it's a European car.

Manufactured by Trix (as opposed to Roco in Austria), the transformer car was one of their first freight cars, appearing in their 1965 catalog (albeit in a pre-production form)...

http://davidksmith.com/postage-stamp-trains/pst_4888-4889.htm

Many Minitrix models have passed through my hands over the years, yet I have never seen one made in Austria.  Usually they show as being made in Germany or Western Germany.

Surprising, given how much Trix/Roco stuff is out there. If you have any examples of cars stamped for Germany (aside from locos and non-American items), I'd like to see them.

[peteski]

Surprising, given how much Trix/Roco stuff is out there. If you have any examples of cars stamped for Germany (aside from locos and non-American items), I'd like to see them.

Thanks DKS!  Your and Mark's websites do cover quite a bit of early N scale history. I should have checked before asking questions here.

When I mentioned that I always seen Trix/Minitrix items showing as being made in Germany, that was based on US prototype locomotives (and European models, of which I own quite a few).  I don't have much of American prototype rolling stock from Trix/Minitrix.