Piko 24640 H0 - Shimmns-Type Tarpaulin Freight Car, Wascosa, Era VI

Shimmns sliding tarpaulin wagon model in Wascosa colours

A model of the Shimmns sliding tarpaulin wagon in Wascosa colours — one of the largest European freight wagon lessors. The prototype is a modern era VI wagon for steel coils, whose tarpaulin slides on movable hoops to expose the load space for crane loading.

The model stands out for accurate proportions, prototypical paintwork and precise, sharp printing. The proven underframe design gives good running qualities, so the wagon suits both uniform block trains and mixed freight formations on an H0 layout.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 24640
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 139 mm
• Era: VI
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Wheelsets for AC operation, available separately: no. 56061
• 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 24640 is an unpowered wagon without electronics, so it can be marshalled into trains hauled in either analogue or digital operation.

About the Shimmns wagon:

The Shimmns is a four-axle wagon for steel products, above all steel coils carried on their side. The load rests in a longitudinal trough lined with rubber mats, and profiled arms keep the coils from shifting in transit. The wagon has steel end walls, and the load space is protected by a tarpaulin stretched over movable transverse hoops with a four-point locking mechanism. The tarpaulin slides back to expose more than a third of the loading length, allowing crane loading.

The UIC code describes the design precisely: S denotes a special bogie flat wagon, h suitability for steel coils, i a removable or sliding cover, mm an above-standard length for the sub-series and n a load limit above the series threshold. The basic type 718 series was built between 1996 and 2000 by Graaff, Costaferroviaria, Adtranz and On Rail.

This is classic private wagon-hire stock. Wascosa, founded in 1964 and now headquartered in Lucerne, managed around 16,000 wagons in more than twenty countries as of 2022, with offices in Warsaw, Hamburg, Milan and Madrid among others. It is the fourth largest private freight wagon lessor in Europe.

Prototype specifications (Shimmns, type 718):

• Axles: 4 (two bogies)
• Length over buffers: 12,040 mm
• Tare weight: 21,700 kg
• Gross weight: approx. 90 t
• Payload: 68–69 t
• Top speed: 100 km/h
• Basic series built: 1996–2000
• Role: transport of steel coils and other steel products

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.