Aroman Locomotive Manufacturing Company
The Aroman Locomotive Manufacturing Company or AHKA (Laimiaic: Arhomaiki Hetaireia Kataskeves Atmomikhanon) is a partially state-owned Tagmatine company that manufactures diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. AHKA has an emphasis on freight locomotives but also offers mixed traffic and passenger locomotives.
History
The company that would become the Aroman Locomotive Manufacturing Company was founded in the reign of Holy Emperor Demetrios IV, who ruled from 1832 – 1848. It was started in 1834 as part of a company specialising in mine engineering and pumping equipment, Mekhanes Exoryxiou tou Viktorinopoulou (Anglish: Viktorinopoulos' Mining Engines). Its first forays into locomotives was to build small locomotives to pull mining carts around clients' mines before Tagmatium noticed the strides being made across the rest of the Eurth as railways began to criss-cross it.
As it became clear that railways could be more than just a convenient way of moving material around mines and had the potential to be so much more, the Holy Imperial Government organised a trial for competing engine designs for a newly opened railway. The Mekhanes Exoryxiou tou Viktorinopoulou entered in a locomotive and won. This, as well as joining forces with some of the visionaries that were driving the expansion of the Tagmatine rail network, meant that MEV was able to become the pre-eminent locomotive manufacturing company in northern Tagmatium. It was especially known for its large Mallet locomotives, designed to haul heavy freight trains.
During the Long War, MEV was nationalised by the Holy Imperial Government and combined with several other locomotive manufacturing companies, such as Ikonion Locomotive Works, to form the Aroman Locomotive Manufacturing Company. This was to enable the government to control production more easily, as well as pool the expertise of the companies and direct their efforts to the war industry more quickly. It remained intact after the end of the Long War and has gone on to design and build some of the most advanced diesel and electric locomotives, using the best production methods and materials available.
