Maker record
Elektro Keiser
Elektro Keiser was a Swiss maker of electric model locomotives and track based in Zug. The business began as an electrical workshop producing small transformers and electrical appliances, then entered model railway production after Alois Keiser built a working Re 4/4 locomotive in 1947. Its range included Swiss Federal Railways prototypes in 0 gauge, with further locomotive models added from 1954. Keiser also made 0 and 1 gauge track using the BUCO system and original BUCO tools. After Alois Keiser's death, his son Peter continued the business with repairs and spare parts; track production later passed to Twerenbold-Modellbau.
- Founded
- 1940
- Countries
- Germany
- Locations
- Zug, Switzerland · 1940
- Founders
- Alois Keiser
The story of Elektro Keiser
Alois Keiser established an electrical workshop in Zug in 1940, producing small transformers and electrical appliances. In 1947, at the Basel trade fair, he offered a working Re 4/4 locomotive after prototypes displayed by SPIEWA failed to run. That model marked the start of Keiser's model railway production. Workshop expansion enabled production of about 15 locomotives a month, but demand fell when HAG offered a Re 4/4 with the same body at a lower price.
In 1948 Keiser acquired tools from Leuthold in Zurich for the Ce 6/8 Crocodile locomotive and substantially revised its design; about 500 green and brown examples were sold. From 1954, further models based on Swiss Federal Railways prototypes followed, including electric locomotives and steam engines. The C 5/6 Elefant was made as a numbered limited series of 28. Keiser also produced 0 and 1 gauge track based on the BUCO system, using original BUCO tools and offering steel or copper rail profiles. After Alois Keiser's death, his son Peter took over, focusing on repairs and spare parts. Track production later passed to Twerenbold-Modellbau.
