Brand record
Roco
Roco is an Austrian maker of model railway products and miniature military vehicles. The company was founded in 1960, initially producing plastic goods such as sand buckets and then Roco Minitanks. In 1967 it began making H0 model railways for American companies and its own H0 goods wagons based on European prototypes. Its railway range later expanded to locomotives, track and digital control products, including the Z21 system developed in 2012. Documented technical developments include track with integrated bedding and a universal coupling with pre-decoupling.
- Founded
- 1950
- Countries
- Austria
- Locations
- Gloggnitz, Austria
- Founders
- Ing. Heinz Rössler
The story of Roco
Roco’s company history begins in 1960 with the production of plastic goods such as sand buckets. The company soon added Roco Minitanks, miniature military vehicles. In 1967 it began producing H0 model railways for American companies and developed its own H0 goods wagons based on European prototypes. In 1975 Roco took over tooling from Röwa and reissued the models. Its first locomotives based on Deutsche Bahn prototypes, the BR 110 and BR 140, followed in 1976; a BR 58 steam locomotive followed in 1977, and the H0 electric locomotive Rh 1044 was developed in 1979.
Roco developed its first track with integrated bedding in 1989 and introduced a universal coupling with pre-decoupling in 1994. It entered digital technology in 1995. In 2005 an ownership change brought Roco into Modelleisenbahn GmbH, followed in 2008 by its merger with Fleischmann under Modelleisenbahn Holding GmbH. Later developments included the Z21 model railway control system in 2012 and Roco’s first production plant in Vietnam in 2016.
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In the digital museum
Explore the museum
Roco Minitanks H0 gauge plastic military vehicles, partly in OBView in the museum
Roco Minitrix Arnold N gauge 1:160 lot of different wagonsView in the museum
Roco N gauge 1:160 lot with steam loco BR 44 and goods wagonsView in the museum
Roco N gauge 1:160 lot with electric loco BR 101 traffic red and Fleischmann doubledecker in OBView in the museum Original catalogues
Roco 2006 English catalogueFree account to read
Roco 1980-1981 German catalogueFree account to read
Roco 2006 Italian CatalogueFree account to read
Roco 1975 catalogue Dutch versionFree account to read
Roco 1985 International CatalogueFree account to read
Roco Catalogue 1970 German versionFree account to read
Roco Catalogue 1987 German versionFree account to read
Roco 1989 Catalogue Dutch versionFree account to read