Maertens György: A „Rába” gépkocsigyártás története (A Közlekedési Múzeum Közleményei 5., 1980)

Idegen nyelvű ismertetések 69

SUMMARY The recently died author was working increasingly at the automobile-section of the then Hungarian Waggon and Machine Factory Company of Gyor (Magyar Waggon es Gepgyar Rt). Thus except for the first decade, he participated personally in the work, went on there, from the initial times. When he began to research for data for this study—more than 10 years ago—the original writings and other plans practically could not be found; meanwhile these had been weeded out or were destroyed during the war. Thus the author—as he mentions in the preface had to be content with using mostly his own reminiscence and that of the colleauges still living that time. He controlled his data very carefully; more than once by the assistance of the late workers of the factory or their descendants. Without it the history of the production of cars—became known as „Raba"—would have probably remained unexplored—especially that of the first period. In this context we have to mention yet, that the study contains numerous illustrations, which have not been published yet. The Waggon Fabric, established in 1896, began the production already in the following year and developed very quickly. Two years later it produced the thousandth railway carriage and by the turn of the century it delivered for export as well. The automobile-section was organized at the beginning of the century. The factory had a greatly varried range of manufacture: it went in for almost all known types of motor vehicle and system. Simultaneously with the production of the first four-wheel-driven tractor, it made steam engines as well—the latters were later used in series only in railway motor-coaches—and then the most different types of motor-cars. So it produced passenger cars, 1,5-5 ton trucks, buses for 20-50 persons, communal vehicles for special purposes—firetenders, ladder turcks, watering trucks and tank cars—as well as moto-ploughs, tractors, military vehicles. In addition to the several petrol-, paraffin-, suction-gas- and diesel-operated motor vehicles it entered the production of parcel-carrying electromobiles for the Hungarian Mail. After a shot summary of the factory's history the author introduces its cars in detail, and he sums up their technical data in an enclosed type-table. In this the types produced till 1951 can be found under serial numbers from 1 to 37. After the introduction of types the author deals with the development of car-production, with the questions of purchasing and with the commercial organization of the firm. In the appendix he publishes the data and assignement of persons, who participated in car-production between 1912 and 1951. The production of cars came to an end in the factory—because of several reorganizations in 1951—and it was practically restarted only in 1964. Ldszlo Tdth, the study's special reader—chief-engineer of the presant-day „Hungarian Waggon and Machine Factory Company of Gyor" 's motor-vehicle section—gives a survey of the post-1964 period—showing brief progress—as well as the data occurring in the type-table's 38-52 lines. 73