In early catalogs, Rokal offered a series of buildings and other items which were meant to enhance the model railroad layout. These structures disappeared from the catalog in the mid-1950's

     It is possible that these early buildings in the Rokal catalog were manufactured for the company by one of the model structure manufacturers (such as Kibri) in Germany at that time. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, at least one other manufacturer, Faller, offered a few buildings which were of a compromise proportion, meant to be used both in HO and in TT. In the same era, Vollmer produced at least one station kit which was labelled as being for "N + TT". Later in production (1965 - 1968), Rokal marketed some bridges which were manufactured in East Germany by the firm Zeuke & Wegworth.

     In the American market, finding buildings which can be used with TT scale trains has been a problem. In recent years, some buildings have been available which were originally manufactured in the former eastern sector of Germany. These buildings became available after the reunification of Germany.

Catenary

     Several Rokal locomotives represent electric powered locomotives. The Rokal catalog included a series of masts and overhead wires to provide actual electric power to these engines. The wire system apparently was manufactured for Rokal by Vollmer, another German concern.

Rokal electric locomotives had a selector switch which chose between using both rails to supply electric power to the locomotive or using the overhead wire & one rail to supply power. In this way, two locomotives could be operated on the same layout without more complicated wiring. It was only necessary that the locomotive using the overhead wire be properly oriented to the rail which served as the ground connection. In the American market, these catenary pieces are not commonly found.

Other Items

Rokal offered this crossing gate between 1966 and 1969.

Rokal also offered other accessory items. These miscellaneous items were the varied pieces necessary to the operation of the model railroad, such as plugs, sockets & wire for electrical connection, clips to hold the control boxes in place, and the like. Because of their small nature, these items are rarely, if ever, found in the American market.

[Home] [Locomotives] [Rolling Stock] [Layout Design] [Track] [Sets & Accessories] [Starter Sets] [Structures] [Packaging] [Technic] [Marketing] [History] [Notes]