Høka

The company was founded as Hønefoss Karosserifabrikk in 1936 by Major Roald Breien, who wanted to start a mechanical workshop to create jobs in the local area.

In addition, the company built tank trucks, fire engines and delivery vans.

Høka had the Norwegian rights to a Czech patent for closed, wood-filled steel profiles.

During World War II from 1940 to 1945, the demand for new buses halted, but Høka entered the maintenance and repair industry.

The same year also saw Breien retire, and be replaced by Jakob Mørk, who formerly had worked for Ekebergbanen, that operated one of the suburban tramways in Oslo.

[1] The company continued to manufacture buses after the war, and built bodywork in both wood, steel and aluminum.

The main manufacturers were Strømmens Værksted and Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk, with Eidsfoss Værk also building freight cars.

The goal of the Skd 221-delivery was to get the large contract that NSB would issue in the mid-1960s for their shunters, but this was instead given to Levahn Mekaniske Verksted of Oslo.

At the same time, it was decided that both the tramways in Oslo and Bergen would be closed, and no new rolling stock would be needed.

The authorities and NSB both realised that there was no need for more than one domestic manufacturer of rolling stock, and all new orders were placed with Strømmen.

Another type of bus was a semitrailer system that could carry 60 passengers, and was delivered to Engeseth Busslinjer in 1938, who used it until 1953 on their route from Hønefoss to Oslo.

[1] The first rail contract was for eight boxcars that would be hauled by NSB Class 87 multiple units, with delivery in 1950.

In 1957, Høke delivered a 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) gauge timber car for the Swedish Nordmark–Klarälven Railway.

It remained in service until 1973, when it was replaced by the TS Class 7 trams, following the merger of Graakalbanen into Trondheim Trafikkselskap.