Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway
equipment. The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic 'minitank'
series. Only a few years later, the 'minitanks' were followed by Roco wagon models of American prototypes,
first H0 and 'O' scale. In 1965/66 the first N gauge models were produced. TT scale was also subsequently
added to the product line. The model rail product line covers many European countries, including Germany,
Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and also the USA. In 1967 Roco entered the European
market with the first H0 models. Especially Germany proved to be a success, surprising the competition
both with the first class quality and the economical price.
On July 15, 2005 ROCO Modellspielwaren GmbH was declared bankrupt. From July 25 the company continues
as Modelleisenbahn GmbH. The family company, established by Mr. and Mrs. Rössler, today has grown
into a multinational company with close to 600 employees. In 2006, the sales figures crossed 30 million Euro.
On October 1, 2007, distribution of the 'Minitank' product series was assigned to the German model car
manufacturer, Herpa.
