Astra Automobile & Waggon Factory

The SC Astra Vagoane Calatori SA (Eng. "Astra cars " ) is a Romanian manufacturer of rail vehicles for passenger transport. Headquartered in Arad, which belonged to Austria-Hungary until 1920.

History

Weitzer János Rt

The Austrian industrialist Johann Weitzer (1832-1902) founded in 1891, the corporation Weitzer János Gép - Waggongyár és Vasöntöde Részvénytársaság, Arad (German Johann Weitzer machinery, railroad cars and iron foundry joint-stock company ). The company was an offshoot who also founded by him in 1854 in Graz carriage and wagon factory AG vorm. John Weitzer, Weitzer János is the Magyarized form of his name. From 1903, the Arad company wrote to the De Dion -Bouton Weitzer railcar railroad history, this gasoline- electric powered vehicle was the first mass produced combustion engine car in Europe.

Fabrica de automobile şi Vagoane Astra

The Fabrica de automobile şi Vagoane Astra (German Astra automobile and wagon factory ) in Arad was built in 1921 by the merger of Magyar Automobil Részvény Társaság Arad (German Hungarian Automobil AG Arad ) with the Weitzer János Rt The production was mainly on trucks, buses and trams aligned. Between 1922 and 1926, the company built under the brand name Astra also passenger cars. The only model called 45/60 HP and was a great vehicle with four-cylinder engine, 8000 cc and 60 hp.

After the Second World War and the Communist takeover in Romania, the company was nationalized. The operation was the largest freight car manufacturer in Romania.

Astra and Astra Arad Vagoane Vagoane Calatori

With the privatization in 1998 Astra Vagoane was divided; the freight car division was offered as Vagoane Astra Arad SA on the international capital market, the passenger car division was as SC Astra Vagoane Calatori SA a joint stock company with Romanian capital.

The freight car division was bought in 1999 to 70 per cent from the U.S. railway vehicle manufacturer Trinity Industries and sold in 2006 to International Railway Systems (IRS ), which has its official headquarters in Luxembourg (te ), but all production facilities in Romania and Serbia. Early November 2011 had Vagoane Astra Arad as well as the other two Romanian IRS daughters bankruptcy.

The SC Astra Vagoane Calatori SA now manufactures passenger carriages and trams.