Roco HO Scale Model Railroads & Trains

Roco is a manufacturer of model railroad products based in Salzburg, Austria. The company, founded in 1960 by Heinz Röessler, first started producing HO and N scale model train freight cars in the mid-'60s. These first products were manufactured for other model railroad companies such as Trix, Atlas, and Walthers. They also branched out into TT scale. Roco produced a line of European model train cars under their own name in 1967 and experienced great success with the product line, especially in Germany.

Roco produced their first locomotives in 1976. They were well known for their accurate and detailed models. When Heinz Röessler passed away in 1978, his widow ran the company until 2002 when she sold the business. Roco was purchased by Modelleisenbahn GmbH and was reorganized in 2005 as a part of Modelleisenbahn Holding GmbH, which also owns the Fleischmann company.

Roco continues to operate out of Salzburg today as a subsidiary of Modelleisenbahn Holding GmbH. The company has a tradition of focusing on innovation in the hobby. Their latest offering is Next Generation, an app for smart phone or tablet that interacts with a model train set during various model railroad games and tasks.

Quick Facts

• When the Roco company was founded in 1960, it originally manufactured plastic military minitanks. This toy series is now produced by the German model car company Herpa
• Roco model railroad products are imported and distributed in the United States by Roman & Company of Elburn, Illinois. This company also distributes Fleischmann model railroad products
• Besides HO and N scale model trains, Roco also produces Hoe, a narrow gauge version of HO scale