MRC - 7015 - Open Hopper, Ore Car, 70 Ton - Duluth Missabe & Northern - 21071

Specific Item Information: TRIX AUSTRIA molded on bottom.

Model Information: This model was built by Roco for Aurora and Minitrix starting in the late 1960s. It appears in the 1968 Aurora Postage Stamp catalog for $1.75 each in Bessemer & Lake Erie livery.

Prototype History: The bottom-dump ore car was developed in the late 1930s for use by Lake Superior ore railroads. It is a highly specialized railcar, measuring only 24 feet long and having a capacity of 70 to 80 tons. The 24 foot lenght was designed to be compatible with the 12 foot pocket spacing of the gravity-fed ore docks and the 12 yo 24 foot hatch spacing of the Great Lakes ore-carrying ships. These cars discharge into every other pocket.

The first 70 ton cars came to the DM&IR in 1937. 70 ton cars (with taconite extensions) are still in use today on DM&IR (CN) although they are getting pretty worn out. BN built new taconite cars in the 70's to replace the 70 ton NP and GN cars.

Road Name History: The DM&N was built in 1891 and 1892 to move iron ore from Minnesota’s Missabe Range to the lake port at Alllouez in Superior, Wisconsin. Note that Missabe has a number of different spellings so we’ll go with the railroad’s version. The latter was reached via trackage rights on the Duluth & Winnipeg but it wasn’t long before the DM&N built their own line to their own docks at Duluth. In the wake of the panic of 1893, John D. Rockefeller assumed control of the railroad and the mines it served. The Missabe Range turned out to be far richer than the neighboring Vermilion Range (whose earlier railroads had the opportunity but no interest in building into the Missabe.) DM&N’s docks in Duluth had to be tripled in size. In 1901, Rockefeller sold his stake in DM&N to U.S. Steel who also purchased the Duluth & Iron Range Rail Road. The two continued to operate separately although gradually certain management functions were combined. In 1930, DM&N leased the D&IR and operations were combined. By 1937, DM&N had 540 miles of line connecting iron mining operations in Coloraine, Hibbing and Virginia, Minnesota with the ports of Duluth and Superior. They had 131 locomotives including a dozen 2-8-8-2’s and sixteen 2-10-2’s. They even had a quartet of 0-10-0 heavy switchers. In 1937, the Spirit Lake Transfer Railway merged with DM&N to form Duluth Missabe & Iron Range. The Duluth & Iron Range, which was still under lease, was absorbed the following year.

Brand/Importer Information: In the hobby industry, few companies have built as bold and dynamic a reputation for quality products and technical achievement as Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC). More than a half century ago, MRC began its march toward hobby product leadership by designing model railroad train controls with a level of realism and power previously unavailable. Today, MRC's technology-rich Tech 6 and Prodigy DCC lead a long list of MRC engineered train controls and sound systems respected and enjoyed by millions of model railroad hobbyist around the world.

Success with model railroads led us to carry our passion for hobby quality and technology into the development of other outstanding brands and categories. Today, MRC is the exclusive distributor for some of the world's most respected hobby products as well as the creators and manufacturers of prominent proprietary lines. While our brands and products are diverse, they all share a common bond. Each product we sell meets stringent quality standards and exceeds the highest customer expectation levels. Extraordinary in its depth and breadth, MRC product lines include some of the world's most recognized hobby brands and category leaders.

Manufacturer Information: The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series of military vehicles. After export to the USA became successful, the model line was expanded with model trains in HO scale and the smaller N scale. TT scale was also subsequently added to the product line. The model rail product line covers many European countries including Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands, and also the USA.

On July 15, 2005 ROCO Modellspielwaren GmbH was declared bankrupt. From July 25 the company continues as Modelleisenbahn GmbH, but still uses the Roco brand and associated logo. On October 1, 2007, distribution of the 'Minitank' product series was assigned to the German model car manufacturer Herpa.

Since February 2008 Modelleisenbahn also owns Fleischmann, which like Roco had gone bankrupt. The two companies continue as separate brands under Modelleisenbahn GmbH, while benefiting from economies of scale through joined development projects, marketing and procurement.

From Wikipedia