Shift (model railway manufacturer)
The company G.schicht was a toy manufacturer from Dresden , which had exclusively produced model railroad cars of the H0 and N tracks since 1947 and became VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden in 1958 . After 1972 the VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden was fully integrated into the VEB Modellbahn Oybin .
history
Foundation by Gerhardschicht
The company was founded in 1947 in Dresden by Gerhardschicht and began with the production of simple railway wagons and locomotives made of sheet metal , which were made from Bakelite some time later . In the early 1950s, production was switched to thermoplastics , which meant that companies had to be found that would paint and print the railroad cars and those that supplied certain plastic parts. These tasks were taken over by the company “Stark & Co” from Oybin (later VEB Modellbahn Oybin), which was headed by Gustav Kiesewetter.
In the course of the nationalization of private companies in the GDR , the company was renamed a state-owned company (VEB) and "VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden" in 1958 . Production was now limited to railroad cars and some time later only passenger cars and freight cars were being produced. After the insolvency of W. Ehlcke KG from Dresden, Shift took over the machines in 1970 and continued to produce various Ehlcke models.
Takeover of Werner Ehlcke KG
In January 1949 Werner Ehlcke founded the "Modellisenbahnbau Werner Ehlcke KG" in Dresden with a loan of 10,000 marks . Initially, Ehlcke built 00 gauge profile rails from tin and brass in his apartment and also some model cars, which he also marketed himself.
In order to continue to exist in the model railway market, Ehlcke began to design, sell and build model railway kits of various open and closed two-axle freight cars , two- and four-axle tank cars and two-axle gas tank cars . These models were then sold under the name “W. Ehlcke - production and distribution of technical teaching models ”. Since then, the company has been producing on Bärensteiner Strasse in Dresden. Ehlcke did not produce all the components for his models himself, but also purchased parts from the companies " Elektro Mechanische Werkstätten L. Herr " and "Böttcher", with whom he also worked closely in other areas. At the Leipzig spring fair in 1950, Ehlcke presented a model kit of a 2C1 locomotive of the DR series 03 , which consisted of brass and cast parts. Ehlcke produced the brass parts himself, and he obtained the cast parts from the “Herr” company in Berlin. This model was not built by him in series. Together with the Petrich company, Ehlcke developed an all-current motor , 20 volts alternating or 16 volts direct current, which was designed in such a way that it could be installed in the driver's cab of a H0 locomotive . This "Ehlcke motor", initially designed for the BR 03, was also used by several companies ("Rehse", "Herr" and " Gützold ") for their models.
Due to a lack of material (tin and brass), the company had to find new materials for production. Attempts to manufacture parts from tin-copper failed and the search for other options found the solution in printed and coated cardboard . For example, the car bodies were made from cardboard and glued to the car frame. The plastic extrusion technology opens up new possibilities to the operation and all models are now made of plastic. When the premises were terminated in the late 1960s, the company had to move to Borthener Straße. Due to declining sales, the unfavorable location of the company, a lack of particularly qualified workers, the advanced age of Mr. Ehlcke (60 years) and the financial difficulties for new developments, the company had to file for bankruptcy in 1969 . In 1970 the bankruptcy estate was taken over by the state. The production machines went to VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden (shift) and the patents went to Piko . The former Ehlcke models have since been produced under license by VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden. In the course of the reprivatisation, the model patents and some machines later went to Sachsenmodelle.
Takeover by VEB Modellbahn Oybin and Prefo
In 1941 Gustav Kiesewetter took over the company "Stark & Co." and concentrated on the production of plastic parts for the model railroad industry. In the course of the nationalization of private companies in the GDR , the company became "VEB Modellbahn Oybin" in 1956 and an important supplier for the "VEB Kombinat Spielwaren Sonneberg". Most of the model carriages from VEB Modellbahn Oybin were originally made byschicht and Ehlcke.
In 1972 the VEB Modellbahnwagen Dresden (shift) was completely integrated into the VEB Modellbahn Oybin , which led to the final end of the former company G. Shift. At that time, Modellbahn Oybin was one of the largest suppliers of model train components and was directly subordinate to VEB Prefo Dresden . At that time, Prefo was the product group lead company of the model and plastic toy combine Annaberg-Buchholz .
In 1981 Prefo and all the production sites connected to it were assigned to the VEB Kombinat Spielwaren Sonneberg. The VEB Piko Sonneberg became the product group lead company for model railways and model railways Oybin for the production location "Prefo Dresden Werk II Modellbahn Oybin". Most of the GDR model railway production has since been sold under the trade name "Piko" and no longer under the names of the individual manufacturers.
Reprivatisation as Saxony models and takeover by Tillig
After reunification in 1990, the “VEB Modellbahn Oybin” became the “Sachsenmodelle GmbH Kiesewetter & Co”, also called SaMo . The Austrian Roco Modelleisenbahn GmbH took over the distribution of the Sachsenmodelle articles and in the following years there was an intensive cooperation between the two companies. Among other things, many Roco railway model cars were produced in special designs by SaMo. The company Sachsenmodelle had to file for bankruptcy in 1999 and the range as well as the distribution rights were bought out of the bankruptcy estate by Tillig in 2001 . The location in Zittau was closed.
Products
The range comprised numerous models that were modeled on railroad cars of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the Deutsche Bundesbahn . Some of these were also offered with the addresses of the Polish and Czech railway companies.
- Freight wagons
The freight wagon program included sheet metal models, among other things: platform wagons, ballast wagons, crane wagons, tipping wagons, open freight wagons. And later plastic models: lime bucket wagons, wine barrel wagons , turntable wagons , gas tank wagons and tank wagons . Most of the freight car models came from the takeover of Ehlcke production.
- Passenger cars
Double-deck car , express train car, express train car (through train), express train skylight car, rail mail car , baggage car , Langenschwalbacher type passenger car , dining car ( Mitropa ) and sleeping car.
- Express locomotive
The only produced train from layer to be the locomotive of the series 03 . The first version of this locomotive was made of sheet metal with some zinc castings and was equipped with an integrated motor and gear wheels. The second version of the BR 03 was made of thermoplastic (boiler, tender housing) and Bakelite (frame, wheels) and initially had the "Ehlcke motor" with selenium cell or alternating current switch and a worm drive. Selenium cells or switches were in the tender . There were 2- and 3-wire versions. The package motor was later replaced by an electrically more modern motor with permanent magnets from Piko, the selenium cells could be omitted. However, the engine protruded beyond the cab, so that the model no longer looked as elegant as the original engine. Towards the end of the production period, it was equipped with a more detailed Heusinger control made of aluminum.
- Starter pack
The first package consisted of sheet metal models, the second series of thermoplastic models. They included a class 03 locomotive with tender; two express train cars C4ü, four-axle, green; a dining car Mitropa, red, four-axle and an express train mail car, green, four-axle and a track system based on the 3-conductor alternating current system (20 volts) with manual switching.
See also
- VERO - Combine wooden toys VERO Olbernhau
literature
- & Panties; W. Ziemert; M. Hummel: Mikado GDR H0 edition. r & r Collector Collections GbR, 2006
- The toy . Meisenbach Verlag, Bamberg 1949.
- Today's toys . Bulletin of the Central Office for Standardization Sonneberg and the Institute for Toys Sonneberg. Sonneberg 1967-83
- Play equipment . Nostheide Verlag, Memmelsdorf 1981
- German Federal Pension Insurance: Company list "Existing documents" . German Federal Pension Insurance, Berlin 2009.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Monika Lenz: Saxony models on the siding. (No longer available online.) Monika Lenz, October 1, 1999, archived from the original on December 20, 2009 ; Retrieved April 6, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Monika Lenz: Sachsenmodelle Zittau: betrayed or sold? (No longer available online.) Monika Lenz, February 23, 2001, archived from the original on February 2, 2010 ; accessed on April 6, 2010 (with interview from the works council). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Monika Lenz: FAKTuell local archive until March 4, 2001. (No longer available online.) Monika Lenz, March 4, 2001, archived from the original on February 2, 2010 ; Retrieved on April 6, 2010 (with quote from State Secretary for Economic Affairs in Saxony, Dr. Wolfgang Vehse): "The fact that an entrepreneur wants to employ more people is not necessarily the reason to sell to him" Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
