Piko 24554 H0 - ex-G02 covered freight car, PKP, Era IV

Two-axle type G02 covered wagon model in Polish State Railways departmental service

A model of the two-axle type G02 covered wagon in the departmental configuration of the Polish State Railways, era IV. The prototype is a Prussian design from the beginning of the twentieth century which, after decades of freight service, passed to the technical support fleet of the railway. It is a subject rarely seen on layouts and highly characteristic of everyday railway operations.

The model stands out for fine engraving reproducing the planking and fittings of the body and for separately fitted grab irons and steps. The NEM 362 coupler pocket allows any interchangeable coupling to be used, and careful wheelset construction ensures reliable running even in long pick-up formations.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 24554
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 105 mm
• Era: IV
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Wheelsets for AC operation, available separately: no. 56060
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

Please note: this model is not a starter set — a locomotive and powered track are required.

The wagon model does not include track, a locomotive or a controller. To put it into service you need powered track and a locomotive — analogue or digital. The wagon itself has no drive or electronics, so it behaves the same way on analogue DC track as in a digitally controlled DCC layout.

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 24554 is an unpowered wagon without electronics, so it can be marshalled into trains hauled in either analogue or digital operation.

About the type G02 covered wagon:

The G02 was a two-axle covered wagon of the Prussian state railways, built to standard drawing IId8. It had a wooden body on a steel underframe and a flat roof — the design immediately preceding the standardised Verbandsbauart of 1910 and already very close to it in dimensions. Around 47,500 were built, with production running from the 1890s to the end of the First World War.

After the Deutsche Reichsbahn was formed, wagons of this generation made up one of the largest groups of covered stock in Germany, and after 1945 a considerable number remained in the territories taken over by Poland and joined the PKP fleet. Too small and too slow for the freight traffic of the 1960s and 1970s, they were transferred wholesale to internal railway service.

As departmental wagons they served as stores for tools and materials for the permanent-way and traction departments, formed part of breakdown trains and stood in works yards. In this form they survived into era IV, often with blanked openings, added chimneys and departmental livery — and they are among the most characteristic yet rarely modelled parts of everyday railway life.

Prototype specifications (type G02 covered wagon):

• Axles: 2
• Length over buffers: 9,300 mm (9,600 mm with brakeman’s cabin)
• Axle spacing: 4,500 mm
• Payload: 15 t
• Capacity: approx. 45.7 m³
• Tare weight: approx. 10 t
• Top speed: 60 km/h
• Output: approx. 47,500 units
• Role: general goods traffic, later departmental service

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.