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Roco Trains

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History

Roco 14145 A Electric Loco DB Br 132 Analog HO AC Roco, based in Bergheim, near Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment. Products include locomotives, rolling stock, track, signals, roadbed, buildings, vehicles and lights. The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started out making plastic sand buckets and miniature military vehicles. The first models consisted of a plastic 'minitank' series. Only a few years later, the 'minitanks' were followed by Roco freight wagon models of American prototypes, in N, HO and 'O' scale. Over the years the Roco product line of model trains has covered many European countries including Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Roco HO 43192 Strassenbahn Köln KVB mit OVP 3-car Articulated Tram In 1963 Roco began manufacturing model railroad cars for the Trix MiniTrix line. The original boom years for N scale of the late 1960's saw Roco at work with a number of freight cars imported into Canada and the United States. In 1967 Roco manufactured N scale freight cars for Atlas Tool Co. The Roco-produced N scale freight cars were also imported to the United States by Aurora (and Model Power) for their Postage Stamp Trains brand. Roco cars were also imported and sold under the AHM, Con-Cor, E-R Models, Model Rectifier Corp. (MRC), and Walthers brands. While some of those companies saw Roco items in their lines in more recent times, the majority of these companies included some of the Austrian-made N-scale releases only from the late-1960's into the 1970's. In 1972 Roco was making N scale Plymouth WDT locomotives for Atlas in Santa Fe, UP, BN, Illinois Central, and Soo Line road names.

Atlas N Scale 1st Generation Freight Cars By Roco Circa 1967
Atlas N #2293 Mobilgas 3 Dome Tank Car by Roco Atlas N #2334 Great Northern 50' 2 Door Box Car by Roco Atlas N #2241 SOO Line 2-Bay Ribside Open Hopper by Roco Atlas N #2252 New York Central 40' Stock Car by Roco circa 1967 Atlas N #2342 Norfolk & Western 50' depressed center flat car by Roco Atlas N #3031 Atomic Energy Dept ATMX Helium Tank Car by Roco Atlas N #2232 Reading RR 40' Composite Outside Braced Gondola by Roco

Atlas HO #7031 Santa Fe GP40 Diesel RN 3700 Made by Roco Circa 1976Roco became a prolific producer of model trains for the North American market during the 1960's. One of this Austrian-based manufacturer’s earliest efforts was a Pullman-Standard PS-1 sliding-door box car model in HO for AHM, dating to 1962. The first HO gauge locomotives were produced in 1976. Roco made HO gauge Diesel locomotives for Atlas that included a GP9, GP30, EMD GP-38 Low Nose, EMD GP-38 High Nose, EMD GP-40 Low Nose, EMD SD-24 High Nose, EMD SD-35 Low Nose, EMD FP-7A, Alco S-2/S-4, and F9A. The SD24 was the first Atlas loco made by Roco. It was followed by the SD35(same chassis), GP38, GP40 and FP-7. Alco FA1 and EMD E7A locomotives made by Roco for Atlas were introduced in the late 1970's. The S-2 and S-4 switchers that Roco made for Atlas were introduced in the late 1980's. Roco's production from those days is easily identified by "Made in Austria" embossed on the bottom of the trains. Roco also manufactured FM H-10-44 engines in HO gauge for Walthers, Alco C424 diesels in HO for AHM, and Baldwin Shark Nose A+B Units, Alco FA-1+FB-1's, EMD E7A and EMD E9A's in HO for Model Power. A re-tooled version of the Alco Century 415 diesel was made by Roco for International Hobby Corporation (IHC).

Atlas HO #7042 Union Pacific FP-7 Diesel Loco RN 912 by Roco Circa 1970's Atlas HO #7014 Southern Pacific EMD SD35 by Roco circa 1975 Atlas HO #7004 Southern SD24 Diesel Locomotive RN 2504 1975 release made by Roco Atlas HO #8071 Rio Grande Alco S2 diesel circa 1986 by Roco

Roco HO Santa Fe A.T.S.F. Santa Fe All The Way reefer #67382 Roco made HO gauge ATT 420 Dow Chemical tank car circa 1970 Roco manufactured HO gauge ATT 413 New Haven box car made 1967-1968 In the mid-1960's Roco commenced marketing a small range of HO scale freight cars in the USA under their own brand name. Starting in 1967 Roco produced American style HO scale freight cars that were imported into North America by Mike Tager and his American Train & Track Corp. (ATT) of Milwaukee, WI. After ATT ceased trading in 1971, the remaining stock of Roco freight cars was sold off and repackaged by Precision Miniatures Inc. of Brooklyn, NY. The Roco manufactured American outline freight cars were also repackaged and sold, initially in brown and yellow boxes, under the Model Power trademark. Model Power of Farmingdale, NY was founded by Mike Tager following the collapse of ATT. Parkway Industries Co. of Cleveland, Ohio continued to import the Roco manufactured former ATT American style freight cars, repackage and market them as sets and individual models under their own name through 1974. These former ATT Roco manufactured American outline freight cars were also marketed in the Associated Hobby Manufacturers Inc. (AHM) range.

Roco N scale Deutsch Reichsbahn Steam Engine BR 03 Roco N gauge 02264-U 2nd Class Passenger Car of the German DB
Roco N gauge 2158A-SD Class 1044 Electric Locomotive of the Austrian OBB Roco N gauge 02280A Eurofima Personenwagen 1st und 2nd Klasse DB OVP

Roco began a line of their own European prototype railroad equipment under its own name in 1967 with the first HO models. It started with an assortment of nicely detailed 4 wheel freight cars, plus some more elaborately detailed equipment built with dies obtained from the collapse of model railway manufacturer Röwa in 1975. This move helped Roco to make a definitive breakthrough on the European model railway market. The success was also due to the fact that the finest detailed earlier Röwa models cost only 60 percent of the former Röwa price and were thus even cheaper than the less well executed models of the Roco HO 43200 Swiss SBB Class C5 6 Steam Loco with Tender competition. In 1977, the Röwa models, which were mainly TEE cars, express trains, silver trains and express tractors, were supplemented by Roco's own designs, including the Eurofima cars and Corail cars of the SNCF, which were procured throughout Europe. The first Roco locomotives based on DB originals (BR 110, BR 140) were released in the mid-1970's. Roco's first locomotive for the German market included a model of the DB 215 diesel series, which was launched on the market Roco HO 3-rail DC 43417 Diesel locomotive BR 215 of the DB in traffic red in 1973. This was followed by 1975 models of DB conversion cars. The DB 215 protoype and its 210, 216, 217, 218 and 219 family were the backbone of train support on the non-electrified railway tracks in Germany. Until Roco released its version of the DB 215 series diesel locomotive, the company was not very widely recognized in Europe as a manufacturer of model railways. In addition to DB models, models from ÖBB became a major focus at Roco. The model rail product line expanded over time and covered many European countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as the USA. The German market proved to be a great success, surprising the competition both with the first class quality and the economical price.

Roco TT scale German Diesel Locomotive BR 233 of the DB AG Roco TT scale 72836 BR 110 DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn) El-lok Epoch IV Roco TT scale BR 44 DR Epoch IV 36021

TT scale was also subsequently added to the Roco product line. TT scale is a niche model railroading scale, whose name stands for table top. Its 1:120 (1:130 in Russia and ex-USSR, 1:101.6 in UK) scale (from a common engineering scale where one inch equals ten feet) and 12 mm (0.472 in) gauge sizes it almost halfway between HO scale (1:87) and N scale (1:160). Its original purpose, like the name suggests, was to make a train small enough to be able to assemble and operate it on a tabletop.

Early Atlas 'O' Scale Trains Produced by Roco Circa 1971-72
Atlas 'O' by Roco #6104 Union Pacific F9A Diesel locomotive issued in 1972 Atlas 'O' #6202 Illinois Central 40' Box Car 1971 release made by Rocco Atlas 'O' Scale #6224 Union Pacific 40' Stock Car 2-rail Circa 1971 Atlas 'O' Scale #6263, Bessemer & Lake Erie ore car 2-rail circa 1970's
Atlas 'O' Scale #6241 Western Pacific 40' insulated plug door box car circa 1971 Atlas 'O' #6242 Detroit Toledo & Ironton DTI 40' insulted plug door box car 1971 release Atlas 'O' #6211 Great Northern 52' Gondola from 1972 Atlas 'O' #6231 ATSF Santa Fe Wide Vision Caboose circa 1972

At the beginning of the 1970's, Roco was also active in 'O' gauge. They produced Atlas' initial freight line, which consisted of an F-unit diesel, a 40' box car, a 40' stock car, a 40' plug door box car, a 52' gondola, and a wide vision caboose for 2-rail operation. Many of the selections in the early 1970's Atlas 'O' scale line featured counterparts offered by Roco in other scales, but the F9A diesel was a unique tooling not duplicated elsewhere. In 'OM' scale ('O' scale narrow gauge), Roco issued an Alpinline series that consisted of Swiss type Metropolitan electric and diesal locos as well as passenger coaches. However, Roco made for Walthers Fairbanks Morse Switcher H10-44 HO scale circa 1992 these activities were short lived due to lack of economic success and subsequently the 'O' gauge product line was discontinued. Roco utilized the Röwa molds to re-introduce 1:100 scale long coaches in HO. During this period the other German manufacturers Fleischmann, Märklin and Trix only produced shorter coaches that were not to scale. Companies such as Liliput and Rivarossi had attempted to sell large-scale wagons in 1971 and 1967, respectively, but they did not sell very well. Because of the narrow radii of HO track curves and points commonly sold and used in model railway lines at that time, there were problems experienced with the cornering behavior of these long cars. Roco replicated the SBB type coaches in the length 1:93.5, which later became the standard for Fleischmann (1991) and Märklin since 2006. The first cars in the correct scale 1:87 made by Roco were released in 1983 as replicas of Eurofima cars. Roco gradually expanded the product line for the long-scale wagons, including the DB-type express train wagons, to test the market. From 1988 onwards almost all types of Roco coaches were produced using the correct scale. The shorter passenger cars were only offered in beginner range starter sets.

Roco HO Austrian Steam Locomotive Class 16.08 of the OBB

Roco HO gauge 43306 Dampflok BR 50 888 DB OVP The first Roco HO tender steam locomotive, the BR 58 of the DB, was issued in 1977. Over the years, as its range of products expanded, Roco became known in Europe for extremely accurate and detailed scale models, which have won a number of awards. Roco established factories in Austria (in Salzburg and Vienna) and across the border in Slovakia. Mr. Rossler died in 1978. His widow Elfriede Rossler continued the business until she sold the company in 2002. 1979 saw the development of the e-loco Rh 1044 in HO. In 1989 the first Roco track with track bed was developed. Other improvements that followed the release of full-scale length coaches, included close couplings, and true-to-life track systems. In 1994 Roco launched its universal coupling with pre-uncoupling capability, and in 1995 made their entry into digital technology. By 1999 Roco had developed the high-end 310.23 steam loco.

Roco HO gauge 44287 passenger coach of the NS Roco HO gauge 04155 B Diesel locomotive

Roco HO 62191-LN BR10 4-6-2 Steam Locomotive of the German DB Epoch III Like other model railroad manufacturers, Roco was hit by economic difficulties. On July 15, 2005 Roco Modellspielwaren GmbH was declared bankrupt. From July 25 the company continued as Modelleisenbahn GmbH, which also announced its purchase of Fleischmann in early 2008. The two companies operated as separate brands under Modelleisenbahn GmbH. However, the development and production of Roco N (1:160) gauge trains was abandoned after the acquisition of Fleischmann by the joint parent company Modelleisenbahn holding. After the reorganization and modernization of Roco in 2005, Roman and Company became their exclusive importer for the USA.

Roco N scale 2358 Deutsche Bahn 50' Depressed Center Flat car Roco N scale flat wagon With load of metal containers Roco 25900 N Scale 40' Boxcar Burlington Northern BN WFE RBWX #64040

Roco made for Walthers HO scale EMD SW-1 diesel switcher circa 1999 Roco, which was started as a family company, by Mr. and Mrs. Rössler, continued to grow into a multinational company with close to 600 employees. By 2006, the sales figures crossed €30 million. The company was declared to be fully recovered by 2007 with sales of €34.6 million. On October 1, 2007, distribution of the 'Minitank' product series was assigned to the German model car manufacturer, Herpa. By 2008, with a €55 million annual turnover, Roco became the third-largest supplier in the European model railroad sector in Europe after competitors Märklin with €128 million and Hornby with €70.6 million. Roco was now operating plants in Gloggnitz (Lower Austria), Banska Bystrica (Slovakia) and Arad (Romania), as well as maintaining its headquarters in Bergheim near Salzburg under the direction of Managing Director Leopold Heher.

Roco HO scale #46900 operating electric 3-rail wrecking crane with tender Roco continued manufacturing 2-rail DC powered HO gauge trains, TT scale trains, and HOe narrow gauge trains, offered separately or in ready to run sets. They also offered a full line of track, parts and accessories. Trains are made of injected plastic via molds, or from metal die-cast molds. In HOe (or OO9 format) Roco covered the 'main line' type of stock, as used on the OBB in Austria, as well as the narrow gauge lines of the DR, down to the Feldbahn, or field railways, as used in industry all over the world. The stock can be used on other manufacturer's tracks, and the couplings are a standard loop and hook type, found on other HOe types. Roco eventually began to offer their locomotive models in three configurations. These were a 2-rail conventional model, and both 2-rail and 3-rail variants that were fitted with digital sound decoders, controlling a range of operating sounds as well as LED headlights. In 2010 Roco product sales took a dip, down to €47 million from 2009's €50.7 million. The company made a committment to digitization and modernization efforts, and to developing new markets in the far east.

Roco HO 45405-PO Blue X Dining Coach of the SJ

In 2012 Roco created the Z21 model railway control system that facilitated game play and operating trains via the SmartRail application running on a smartphone or Tablet PC. The software provided the user with a photorealistic driver’s cab perspective of the original locomotive. A camera mounted in the locomotive fed the view of the ride through the train layout live onto the Tablet PC driver’s virtual cab screen. All digital locomotive and layout components such as speed, sound, signal functions of the locos as well as turnout routes, motion and sound on the layout were controllable via the touch-screen.

Roco HO 04189 S Motor Carriage Elektro BD 9151 of the NS

Roco HO 04160 A Hippel Diesel locomotive for Analog AC From 2007 to 2017 sales volume in the model train industry declined by a third. This had a huge impact on Roco and parent company Modelleisenbahn GmbH. Announced combined sales of both Roco and Fleischmann products were €51 million in 2013 and €47.5 million in 2015. Sales rose slightly to €49 million in 2016. In January 2017, Gerhard Joiser, CEO of Modelleisenbahn GmbH announced that in an effort to reduce costs some of its production was moved to Vietnam. 80 employees in Vietnam assembled 200,000 wagons, representing five percent of total production. However, the know-how, the technology and the construction would remain in Europe. Only the simpler models would be produced in Vietnam. The production sites in Romania and Slovakia would remain intact. Roco and Fleischmann now had a combined total of 750 employees, 100 of which worked in Bergheim. In August 2017 it was announced that Modelleisenbahn GmbH, the holding company for both Roco and Fleischmann was seeking a new owner.

Roco HO gauge 43281 Mallet Dampflok BB II 2502 'Mallet' of the Königlich Bayerischen Staatseisenbahnen (K.Bay.Sts.B.) Roco HO 43469-LN BB307 Diesel Locomotive of the Spanish RENFE Roco HO gauge 1-E 2-10-0 Steam locomotive 2976

Link to Roco web site.

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