Piko 22005 H0 - Rh 500 diesel locomotive, NS, Era IV, DCC with sound

Digital NS Class 500 diesel shunter model in Netherlands Railways livery

A digital model of the Class 500 diesel shunter, for more than four decades one of the most characteristic vehicles in Dutch marshalling yards. The version reproduced by PIKO shows a machine in Netherlands Railways colours in era IV. The model belongs to the PIKO Expert range and comes with a factory-fitted sound decoder.

The finish includes finely rendered spoked wheels, piping and handrails, applied battery and sand boxes, air reservoirs and spring packs. A water level indicator, filler cap, whistle and sign holder complete the picture. A set of separate detail parts for display in a showcase is supplied with the model. The factory-fitted sound decoder gives access to numerous sound effects and to digitally switchable cab lighting.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 22005
• Manufacturer: PIKO (Expert range)
• Model length: 104 mm
• Era: IV
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder socket: NEM 658 – PluX22
• Decoder: PIKO sound decoder, factory-fitted
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: lights changing with the direction of travel: white and red
• Digitally switchable cab lighting
• Set of separate detail parts for display in a showcase
• 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 22005 has a factory-fitted sound decoder and is intended above all for digital operation.

About the NS Class 500:

The Class 500 of the Netherlands Railways was born of wartime improvisation. The first ten machines (501–510) were built in 1944 for the British War Department as sisters of the later British Class 11. They reached the continent with the Allied forces and were taken over by NS after the war. The design came from English Electric, and the locomotives were built at Dick, Kerr Works in Preston and Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows.

They proved themselves well enough that in 1948 NS ordered further units — numbers 511–545, delivered between 1949 and 1954. The class totalled 45 locomotives. In 1955 deliveries began of the developed Class 600, fitted with two compressors and a continuous air brake, which allowed it to haul freight trains as well. The distinctive outline — a tall, narrow cab set at one end of the frame and a long hood over the engine — became one of the iconic images of Dutch marshalling yards in Utrecht, Zwolle and Rotterdam.

The oldest Class 500 machines were withdrawn in the early 1970s; the last survived until 1989. Several examples were preserved: 508 went to the Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht, 521 to the Goes–Borsele heritage railway and 532 to the VSM. Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij is a Dutch heritage railway founded in 1975, operating the Apeldoorn – Dieren line via Beekbergen and Eerbeek. Run by volunteers, it hosts the September steam gala Terug naar Toen, one of the largest events of its kind in Western Europe.

Prototype specifications (NS Class 500):

• Manufacturer: English Electric — Dick, Kerr Works (Preston) and Vulcan Foundry (Newton-le-Willows)
• Built: 501–510 in 1944, 511–545 between 1949 and 1954
• Output: 45 units
• Wheel arrangement: C (three coupled axles, rod drive)
• Length: approx. 9,135 mm
• Service weight: approx. 47 t
• Engine: English Electric 6K/6KT rated at approx. 250–300 kW
• Top speed: 30–32 km/h
• Role: shunting in marshalling yards and on sidings
• Withdrawn: from the early 1970s until 1989

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.