Rokal

Robert Kahrmann established a metal goods and casting business in 1914; its casting and plumbing fittings works moved to Lobberich in 1927. The company later added automotive components, carburettors and fuel pumps. In 1946, engineer Eugen Engelhardt brought Kahrmann a proposal for an electric toy railway. Kahrmann agreed to develop it with him, and Engelhardt produced the early designs. Railway production began in 1948. ROKAL presented its TT railway at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1950, introducing locomotives and rolling stock alongside electrical equipment. The product line developed through the 1950s, with staff working on locomotives, wagons, transformers, controllers and points. The railway business formed one part of a larger manufacturer whose automotive and fittings operations supported its expansion. Economic difficulties later left the model railway department without room to continue as a non-profitable division. ROKAL transferred its model railway production and equipment to Röwa in 1971, with further financial support to Röwa continuing into 1972. The ROKAL GmbH entered bankruptcy proceedings in 1974. These dates distinguish the railway production transfer from the later collapse of the wider company.