Piko 21804 H0 - BR 193 Electric Locomotive, Bałtyk, PKP IC, Era VI, DCC with sound

Digital Siemens Vectron Class 193 electric locomotive model in PKP Intercity livery

A digital model of the Siemens Vectron electric locomotive, designated Class 193 in Germany, in the commemorative Baltic livery of PKP Intercity, era VI. This is the version with a factory-fitted PIKO sound decoder — the counterpart of model 21803, which has only the socket prepared. The model was produced in H0 scale as a 2026 novelty.

The printing reproduces the prototype livery with sharp edges and legible markings. The factory-fitted PIKO sound decoder in PluX22 standard works with a large-diameter speaker and reproduces the characteristic operating sounds of the locomotive. The lights change with the direction of travel, and two traction tyres provide the pulling power needed for long formations.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 21804
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 218 mm
• Era: VI
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder socket: NEM 658 – PluX22
• Decoder: PIKO sound decoder, factory-fitted
• Traction tyres: 2
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: lights changing with the direction of travel: white and red
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

Please note: a DCC command station and powered track are required to operate this model.

The model is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. To use all the digital functions — sound and independent lighting control — a DCC command station is required (for example the PIKO SmartControl or any other DCC-compatible controller) connected to powered track. The model can also be run on a conventional analogue DC layout, but only provided that the decoder has the alternative power source function enabled (analogue operation — controlled in the DCC standard by bit 2 of register CV29). It is active by default, but if it has previously been switched off, applying DC to the track may damage the decoder. In analogue mode only basic running is available — without sound or digital functions.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

The digital DCC control system allows several locomotives to run independently on the same track. Each vehicle receives individual commands while the rail voltage stays constant, which makes realistic operation possible and allows the lights and sound effects of every locomotive to be controlled separately. In an analogue system all vehicles on a given circuit are controlled at once by varying the supply voltage. PIKO model 21804 has a factory-fitted sound decoder and is intended above all for digital operation.

About the Siemens Vectron (Class 193):

Vectron is a locomotive platform developed by Siemens Mobility and presented in 2010 as the successor to the EuroSprinter and EuroRunner families. Final assembly takes place at the Munich-Allach plant. The design is modular: a single carbody serves single-system AC and DC variants, multi-system MS versions, and diesel and dual-mode machines as well. The German designation Class 193 covers mainly the AC and MS locomotives.

Commercially the Vectron became one of the most successful designs of the past two decades. The 500th unit was sold in 2017, the 1000th in 2020, and by early 2025 sales of the whole family exceeded 2,600 locomotives for more than a hundred customers in over a dozen countries. Approvals in many countries turned the Vectron MS into a standard tool for north–south transit traffic, hauling a train from Germany through Austria to Italy, or from Poland to the Czech Republic, without changing locomotives.

In Poland the Vectron (national designation EU46) is operated by PKP Cargo, DB Cargo Polska, Lotos Kolej and the leasing company Cargounit, among others. PKP Intercity, which has no multi-system electric locomotives of its own, leases them — five units from Cargounit were assigned to the Baltic Express service (Gdynia/Gdańsk – Prague, launched on 15 December 2024), and a further contract covered 18 multi-system locomotives. Some of them carry a commemorative wrap promoting that service, referred to in the model trade as the Baltic livery.

Prototype specifications (Siemens Vectron, Class 193):

• Manufacturer: Siemens Mobility, Munich-Allach
• Production: from 2010 (deliveries from 2011), still in production
• Output: more than 2,600 Vectron locomotives of all variants sold by early 2025
• Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
• Length: 19,975 mm
• Weight: 80–90 t depending on version and equipment
• Power: 6,400 kW (high-power AC/MS versions), 2,600 kW under 3 kV DC
• Top speed: 160 km/h or 200 km/h depending on version
• Role: universal — freight and passenger trains, cross-border operation

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO is a German manufacturer of model railways with more than seventy years of tradition, founded in 1949 in Sonneberg. Today it is one of the most popular model railway brands in Europe and a leading producer of Polish prototype models, including locomotives and coaches in PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo colours. The range covers H0, TT, N and G scales, from individual wagons to comprehensive starter sets and digital control systems. The PIKO Expert range combines a high level of detail with modern digital technology — with factory-fitted DCC and sound decoders in selected models. PIKO products are valued by modellers and collectors worldwide.