Piko 21776 H0 - BR 110.3 Electric Locomotive, DB AG, Era V

Model of the Class 110.3 electric locomotive in the oriental red livery of Deutsche Bahn AG

When German rolling stock moved to oriental red in the 1990s, the long-serving Class 110 gained a fresh, energetic look, complete with a light panel on the cab front intended to improve the locomotive's visibility. This H0 scale model shows exactly such a machine: a Class 110.3 electric locomotive in Deutsche Bahn AG colours, in a version matching Era V, the period from 1990 to 2006. The 110.3 sub-class covers the examples with the more streamlined cab front and its pronounced crease, known in Germany as the "Bügelfalte".

The model belongs to the PIKO Expert range, which combines a high level of body detail with preparation for digital technology. Livery and lettering are applied with sharp, precise printing, right down to the small service markings. Two wheels with traction tyres assist adhesion, and the couplings sit in NEM 362 pockets with close-coupling mechanisms, keeping the gaps between vehicles realistic. The model runs on a DC analogue layout; the NEM 658 PluX22 interface allows a digital decoder to be added, after which functions such as switchable cab lighting become available.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Item number: PIKO 21776
• Manufacturer and range: PIKO, Expert series
• Length over buffers: 189 mm
• Railway administration and era: Deutsche Bahn AG, Era V
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder interface: NEM 658 PluX22 (model supplied without a decoder)
• Sound decoder: PIKO no. 56571 — available separately
• Drive: electric motor, two traction tyres
• Coupling: NEM 362 pocket with close-coupling mechanism
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: directional white/red head and tail lights
• Digital functions: switchable cab lighting (with a PluX22 decoder installed)
• Ready-to-run model, factory painted and printed
• Age recommendation: 14 years and over

Please note: a power pack and a powered track are required to run this model.

This model is not a starter set and contains neither track nor a controller. As delivered it runs on a conventional DC analogue layout, so a power pack with speed control and track connected to the supply are all that is needed. The NEM 658 PluX22 interface allows a DCC decoder to be retrofitted at any time; the manufacturer lists PIKO sound decoder no. 56571 as the matching item. Once a decoder is installed, digital functions become available, including independent control of the cab lighting and, with a sound decoder, sound effects.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

Analogue control works by varying the track voltage: more voltage means more speed, and every vehicle in the section responds in the same way. In a DCC system the track carries a constant voltage while the command station superimposes coded instructions for the decoders in individual locomotives, so several trains can be driven independently and lights and sound can be switched at will. As delivered this model is a DC analogue locomotive, but the PluX22 interface means the step up to digital control amounts to plugging in a decoder.

About the Class 110.3 (formerly E 10):

The E 10 family was created under the post-war Deutsche Bundesbahn standard electric locomotive programme. Prototypes were built in 1952 and series production ran from 1956 to 1969, with mechanical parts from Krauss-Maffei, Krupp and Henschel and electrical equipment from Siemens-Schuckertwerke, BBC and AEG. More than four hundred machines were completed, forming the backbone of German electric passenger traction for decades.

The variant later designated 110.3 begins with E 10 288, from which a new and more streamlined cab front with a pronounced vertical crease was adopted. Borrowed from the high-speed E 10.12 built for the Rheingold express, this shape gave the locomotives their nickname "Bügelfalte" — trouser crease. With the introduction of computer numbering in 1968 the machines became Class 110, and the 110.3 sub-class covered precisely those with the streamlined front.

The locomotives hauled express and semi-fast trains on the principal main lines and, in Era V under Deutsche Bahn AG, increasingly turned to regional and suburban work with double-deck and refurbished coaching stock. Oriental red was introduced from 1987 and was later replaced by traffic red. Regular passenger service with the Class 110 ended in 2020, and preserved examples now run on heritage duties.

Prototype specifications (Class 110.3 / E 10 electric locomotive):

• Manufacturers: Krauss-Maffei, Krupp, Henschel (mechanical parts); Siemens-Schuckertwerke, BBC, AEG (electrical equipment)
• Build years and quantity: prototypes from 1952, series production 1956–1969, more than 400 units of the whole E 10 family
• Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
• Length over buffers: 16,440 mm (streamlined cab front version)
• Service weight: approximately 85 t
• Hourly rating: 3,880 kW; continuous rating: 3,700 kW
• Motors: four traction motors
• Power system: 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
• Maximum speed: 150 km/h (later reduced to 140 km/h on part of the fleet)
• Duties: semi-fast and express trains, later regional and suburban services as well

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO traces its roots to 1949 and Sonneberg in Thuringia, and today ranks among the best-known model railway manufacturers in Europe, with more than seventy years behind it. The range includes vehicles and accessories in H0, TT, N and garden-scale G, aimed at newcomers and experienced modellers alike. Models in the PIKO Expert series, such as this electric locomotive, are marked out by refined detail and preparation for DCC control. It is worth adding that PIKO has long been the leading producer of Polish prototype models in PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo liveries.