Piko 24553 H0 - Sgnns-type container car with CH-Wasco superstructure, SBB, Era VI

Model of an Sgnns container flat wagon with a superstructure in Wascosa livery

Modern freight trains are largely made up of container flat wagons owned by private leasing companies rather than by the railways themselves. This model reproduces exactly such a vehicle: a four-axle Sgnns flat wagon carrying a superstructure in the colours of Swiss operator Wascosa, marked with the keeper code CH-Wasco and listed by the manufacturer under the SBB railway administration. The model shows the wagon in its current condition, corresponding to era VI, and measures 230 mm over buffers.

The build stands out for the number of separately applied parts: handrails, rope anchors, grab handles and fine shunting steps. Brake equipment and air reservoirs beneath the frame are also separate mouldings, giving a convincing view of the underframe from the side. The manufacturer highlights the excellent running characteristics of the model, which matters for long container rakes that have to negotiate many points and curves on a layout. The coupling sits in an NEM 362 pocket with a close coupling mechanism, keeping the gaps between wagons in a rake to a minimum.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Item number: 24553
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Length over buffers: 230 mm
• Railway administration: SBB, keeper CH-Wasco, era VI
• Intended for direct current (DC) model track
• Coupling: NEM 362 pocket with close coupling mechanism
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Separately applied handrails, rope anchors, grab handles, shunting steps, brake equipment and air reservoirs
• Ready to run, factory painted and assembled
• Age recommendation: 14 years and up

Please note: this wagon has no drive of its own.

It is an unpowered trailer intended for locomotive-hauled consists, so it does not move by itself and needs no digital decoder. Running it requires a powered track, a controller and a locomotive. The minimum radius is 358 mm, worth keeping in mind when planning curves, particularly as container wagons are usually marshalled into long uniform rakes.

About the Sgnns container wagon:

The designation Sgnns follows the UIC coding system. The letter S denotes a four-axle bogie flat wagon of special design, g indicates suitability for containers up to 60 feet long, and the final s marks the wagon as approved for trains running at up to 100 km/h. Wagons of this family are a mainstay of European intermodal transport, carrying ISO containers, swap bodies and tank containers between ports, terminals and industrial plants.

The prototype belongs to the fleet of Wascosa, a Swiss freight wagon leasing and fleet management company. It was founded in 1964 at Aarau by Max Sandmeier together with Pietro Scotti and Jakob Wälti; since August 2011 its head office has been in Lucerne, with further offices in Milan, Warsaw, Hamburg, Hull and Madrid. As of June 2022 the Wascosa fleet numbered some 16,000 wagons operating in more than twenty countries, placing the firm among the four largest private wagon lessors in Europe.

Wascosa specialises in rolling stock for the chemical and mineral industries, in intermodal traffic and in bulk transport. The company has also developed its own modular system in which flat wagons receive interchangeable superstructures tailored to a particular industry, allowing one wagon type to handle very different loads without rebuilding the underframe.

Prototype specifications (Sgnns container flat wagon):

• Type: four-axle bogie flat wagon of special design for container transport
• UIC designation: Sgnns
• Suitable for: containers up to 60 feet long
• Speed class indicated by the designation: 100 km/h
• Keeper: Wascosa AG, Lucerne (code CH-Wasco)
• Period represented: era VI (from 2006)
• Purpose: intermodal transport of containers, swap bodies and tank containers
• Unpowered trailer wagon

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO has been in business since 1949, when production of its first model railway items began at Sonneberg in Thuringia. More than seventy years later the brand is one of the most popular in Europe, offering models in scales H0, TT, N and G. The catalogue covers historic vehicles as well as the rolling stock of today's freight operators and private wagon lessors. The PIKO Expert line combines high-quality detailing with modern digital technology. The company is also a leading producer of Polish rolling stock models, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.