Rokal

The company ROKAL ( portmanteau of: RObert Kahrmann, Lobberich (now city Nettetal ) ), was from 1948 to 1974, the first Western European volume manufacturers of model trains the track TT ( Table Top ). Apart from sample paths of the operation even bathroom fixtures and later carburetor and moldings produced for the automotive industry.

The history of ROKAL train

History from 1946 to 1948

The low-voltage technician and engineer Eugen Engelhardt Geneiken, a small town near Mönchengladbach, said in shattered post-war Germany with many others, the problem of unemployment and the daily struggle for survival for himself and his family. Early in 1946, heard Engelhardt in a news story on the radio that in the British occupation zone, the manufacture of toys was released. It was the triggering moment for a spontaneous idea: " I'm building a railroad ," he called to his wife. Engelhardt sat down at the kitchen table and made ​​his first design drawing of an electrically driven model steam locomotive.

At the same time Engelhard already had a marketing idea. His model railroad should be adapted to the crowded living conditions in postwar Germany. That's why they had to be smaller than the already known H0 trains. But " tackle " - such as Engelhard called it - should they can too. (After all, model railways were then designed nor for children as a target group.) Considerations to choose a track width of 8 mm, were quickly rejected as too small, so was the measure of a 12 - mm gauge for his railroad, which later TT as track recognition obtained. It is not known whether Engelhardt had knowledge of parallel developments: Harold L. Joyce in the U.S., company WESA in Switzerland (13 - mm gauge ), the comet orbit of the Freiburg-based company Lytax and the Stuttgart Löhmann - Präzix -Bahn ( both 12 - mm gauge ).

In the spring of 1946 after its construction drawing a functioning hand pattern had emerged. But this was already a remarkable achievement Engelhardts, considering the supply situation of that time: the engine was developed from deal -filed sheets of a can; the painted coil wire came from an electric doorbell. The grandmother's alarm clock donated the drive gears, and the axles of the wheels were knitting needles. Professional help needed Engelhardt for the wheels of his Musterlok. Filmed they were made ​​of brass in a locksmith on a lathe on the size, the real railway wheels could have produced. Handcarved was still the body of the locomotive from wood, dyed with black shoe polish.

From curved curtain rods the tracks that have been pinned to a board created, and a bell transformer with 8 VAC was used for power supply. All the conditions for the maiden voyage were given. The little train went right away and without stuttering. The beginning was made, but a salable product that was not yet, and certainly not to be produced in series. It involved the injection molding technology and especially money that Engelhardt had not. The search for a company who could handle mold making and injection molding, Engelhardt led to Lobbe Rich on the Lower Rhine on the company of Robert Kahrmann, the zinc injection molded parts for sanitary fittings made ​​and it sculpted the forms.

In May 1946, Engelhardt was for the first time in the office of Robert Kahrmann. On his desk the track board was placed on the locomotive, the plug in the socket - and again turned Engelhardts Musterlok "little railway BABY" reliable lap after lap. Kahrmann saw the little locomotive interested in and then announced: " Mr. Engelhardt that we build together if you want! "

While Engelhard immediately it took to develop from his Musterlok the first reproducible in series locomotive, Kahrmann let get ready a 40 -square-foot garage, where the model train production to begin. In parallel, Engelhardt began with the necessary development of passenger coaches and professional tracks - in 1946, not an easy task.

The drawing template for a passenger car was created eg by means of notebook and pencil at the railroad crossing in Geneiken. Here drove daily at 16:00 clock the North-South Express the Allies at a moderate pace over. Engelhardt recorded in several stages so the shape of the cars, was one window and noted further details, until he could make it a design drawing for mold.

Another and much bigger problem it was in the series manufacture of the rails to solve. For the milling of the forms of emerging bands, and especially that of course, no one had quite the know -how to existing in Kahrmann universal milling machine. The random solved the problem. A friendly company Kahrmanns, the Gelsenkirchen company tomboy, was paralyzed by a fire partially. Tomboy but had an order for the production of stroller wheels were required for the injection molds. Kahrmann presented tomboy its universal milling machine available to it to produce the molds. Added to this was an employee of the company in Gelsenkirchen, Mr. participants, to Lobbe Rich. This also had the know -how to mill the shaped parts for emerging bands. He voluntarily milled in addition to his day shift at night also the forms for emerging bands of the rails and switches; Mr. Thieme of ROKAL told him every night the extent of its positive markings on the Participating negative then milled.

At Christmas of 1948, it was finally over. The first train set in the TT gauge with the name ROKAL was finished. In a wooden box with sliding lid, which still later got a sticker with a picture, on the Robert Kahrmanns grandson was ready, lay a tender locomotive, three passenger cars, a variable AC transformer, tracks and tool (screwdriver, tweezers and bottle of oil ). Approximately 150 pieces to have been made ​​from this edition. However, this came not in the trade, but were given away by Kahrmann mainly to business associates.

The years 1949-1974

The first "big" appearance was the "little electric train " in August 1949 on the export trade fair in Hannover. In addition to the state of Kathe Kruse dolls ROKAL led to a small landscaped grounds his TT- track a global audience. The above-mentioned train set was added for 108, - DM (then about the monthly wage of a worker ) offered.

Engelhardt, the spiritual father of ROKAL train left, about a year later - in March 1950 - the company ROKAL. This was due to disagreements between him and Robert Kahrmann which must probably have been so severe for Engelhardt ultimately that Engelhardt took this certainly not easy for him step.

The little train did not diminish. It was after some initial distribution problems - the new product was difficult to establish - with customers increasingly popular. In addition to that already the end of 1949 it was decided to abandon the complicated and expensive production technology AC drive to continue to drive with direct current. The true workhorse of success but the opposite H0 smaller scale of 1:120 was - initially by ROKAL specified with 1:125. It was here that Engelhardt's early marketing concept thought up a space-saving path for the crowded living conditions in postwar Germany to full. To success included the ever increasing product range. So it was granted, among other things for many years only the ROKAL - railroaders to provide a model of the steam locomotive BR 03 on the model tracks. Also on improving the models worked constantly. So they left in 1958 to repair prone worm drive previously used and installed from now on in the models a motor with gear drive. As of 1960, the plastic collection held at the ROKAL models.

However, the year 1960 brought the model railroaders also the first even smaller model railroad. The company ARNOLD from Nuremberg presented at the International Toy Fair, the N scale in scale 1:160. Although the models were not really be described as such, but that should change quickly as ROKAL could soon find. Had ROKAL around 1960 still a market share of just under 4%, it fell by the year 1965 on round 2%. The N- trace of Arnold had had, however, already never achieved a market share of over 5%, a value that ROKAL in the same year. But these were not the only backgrounds for the introductory to decline this brand. There were still the racetracks (Slot Cars), which always enjoyed the mid- 1960s increased popularity and sales figures. They caused all model railway manufacturers revenues, only ROKAL just - with an already ever-decreasing market share - even momentous.

The 1967 general onset of recession in Germany was another blow for sensitive ROKAL. The company tried to counteract. They had probably noticed that it was no longer competitive against the now high quality of the competitors. So they brought in 1967 a completely new rail system out. Instead of the stainless sheet metal profiles are presented in order to Neusilbervollprofile.

Since Kahrmann for vehicle development continued all activities to zero in parallel for reasons of cost, it made ​​contact with the East German manufacturer Zeuke & Wegwerth, who also offered a TT model railroad for several years in order to buy from here new models, which are then under the name ROKAL should extend its offering. In fact, such cooperation came into being in 1968 as well, but was of short duration. Zeuke & Wegwerth supplied wagons against foreign currencies, which then still knew ROKAL with the company's own clutches and gear sets and offered under its own name.

The last new development of own ROKAL was the E 03 ( 103) of the DB which was introduced in 1968 along with the two-tone TEA wagons and delivered.

But it is precisely this locomotive also showed that ROKAL connection to the competition - had missed and had stopped at a manufacturing and quality level of the 1950s - and just opposite the N scale. Although the E 03 was appealing succeeded in their proportions, but on closer inspection it was a bit too high, probably due to the standard motor used. In addition, the clearly visible slot between the moving buffer beam and the vehicle body found. To switch the locomotive pantograph, sticking out below the roof edge of a lever out, and the Beschwerungsgewichte were clearly visible from the outside, fixed in the red side strip of the locomotive by a black screw.

Such avoidable shortcomings in 1968 an increasingly demanding buyer audience even with the slogan "This is exactly the gauge, maximum scale fidelity permitted with a minimum of space claim the " offer, at least, was not foster trust. In addition to that the prices were not adjusted to the quality offered. On the contrary, ROKAL was to be found in the upper price segment. In addition, the margins were very small, which the dealer is not just motivated.

At the Toy Fair 1970 ROKAL was then for the first time not present. The rumor mill, not least because the financial problems of ROKAL were no longer a secret. Also it was known that ROKAL had already led sales conversations with the company Röwa in Unterensingen am Neckar, which had been initially but canceled.

ROKAL decided this always wild rumors becoming counter to the end of ROKAL with dealer communications and connected in the press ads. In the heading of these messages could be read: " The ROKAL -DD no longer drives. Who says that? "The truth was that ROKAL stood before the corner. Even during the " Who said that? " Campaign ran, the bank froze the credit of ROKAL what the further running sales negotiations with Röwa further complicated because it also lacked Röwa of capital.

The solution looked like this that ROKAL spent against a 2/3-Beteiligung to Röwa all manufacturing machines, molds and the know -how to Röwa. But even this was not enough boost. In the years 1971 and 1972 ROKAL shot again a total of DM 1.5 million in cash on a credit basis after, but Röwa could therefore establish no financially viable TT production. Ultimately, the DM 1.5 million of the company ROKAL were deprived of liquidity, but true participation in Röwa was on the paper, but did not mark in the coffers of ROKAL. 1974 in particular, led the credited lack of cash in the amount of DM 1.5 million to the fact that ROKAL finally had to go bankrupt.

A year later, on 1 April 1975 Röwa followed with its own bankruptcy, so to speak, a domino effect of ROKAL - bankruptcy because the bankruptcy trustee of ROKAL against Röwa demanded the outstanding equity claims in the amount of DM 1.8 million; this could not muster Röwa and had so even bankruptcy. This ended in 1975 the production of the TT model trains in Western Europe.