Piko 37310 G - VT 98 Railbus, PEG, Era V

Model of the VT 98 railbus in Prignitzer Eisenbahn livery for the garden railway

Just as Deutsche Bahn was retiring its last Uerdingen railbuses, the private Prignitzer Eisenbahn was getting into its stride with them – for several years the white VT 98 railcars were the operator's calling card on the branch lines of Brandenburg. This PIKO G scale model presents exactly such a vehicle together with its driving trailer, in an Era V version. The railbus outline, with its low frame, flat front end and wide windows, is particularly striking in the large scale once it is moving over garden track.

Clear windows give an unobstructed view of the finely detailed interior with its seating and driver's position. Direction-dependent lights shine white and red in line with prototype practice. The model is prepared for straightforward retrofitting with a digital decoder and sound: fitting a PIKO PSD XP decoder unlocks additional lighting functions, while the manufacturer names sound decoder 36536 and interior lighting kit 36130 as the matching accessories. The railbus can also haul individual freight wagons, exactly as the prototype did in mixed traffic on branch lines.

Model specifications:

• scale: G (garden railway)
• item number: 37310
• manufacturer: PIKO
• length over buffers: 507 mm
• vehicle: VT 98 railbus with driving trailer
• operator: PEG (Prignitzer Eisenbahn), private railway
• era: V
• drive: powered railcar
• digital preparation: ready for retrofitting a digital decoder and sound
• matching PIKO sound decoder available separately: item 36536
• interior lighting available separately: item 36130
• additional lighting functions with a PIKO PSD XP decoder
• direction-dependent lighting: white / red
• clear windows, detailed passenger interior
• minimum radius: 600 mm
• ready-to-run model, no assembly or painting required
• age recommendation: 14 years and up

Please note: a power supply and a powered track are required to operate this model.

The model is not a starter set and includes neither track nor a controller. As delivered it runs on a conventional analogue layout supplied with direct current, where speed and direction are governed by the voltage applied to the track. Because the vehicle is prepared for a decoder, it can be moved over to DCC digital operation at any time – the manufacturer names sound decoder 36536 as the matching unit, and a PIKO PSD XP decoder additionally unlocks extended lighting functions. Once a decoder is fitted, digital control of running, sound and lighting becomes available. Interior lighting kit 36130 can be added separately.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

In an analogue system the track voltage decides everything: raise it and the vehicle accelerates, reverse the polarity and it runs the other way. The approach is simple and inexpensive, but every vehicle in a given section responds the same way. In a DCC digital system the track carries a constant voltage while the command station sends addressed instructions to decoders in individual vehicles, so several trains can be driven independently and lighting and sound can be switched at will. This model is set up for analogue DC running as delivered, and thanks to its decoder preparation it can join a digital layout whenever you choose.

About the VT 98 railbus:

The railbuses from Waggonfabrik Uerdingen were an answer to the crisis of Germany's branch lines after the Second World War: a steam train with a few coaches was simply too expensive for such duties. The answer was a light railcar borrowing heavily from bus practice – with hand throttle levers instead of pedals and an engine brake for descents. The VT 98 was a development of the earlier single-engined VT 95: it received two engines and could therefore handle trailers and lines with steeper gradients.

Power came from two naturally aspirated Büssing U 10 six-cylinder in-line diesel engines of 110 kW each, working through a semi-automatic six-speed ZF 6E75S gearbox with five electromagnetic clutches. In total 329 railcars were built, joined by 320 VB 98 trailers and 310 VS 98 driving trailers. The typical formation was railcar, trailer and driving trailer, though two-car sets and six-car formations were both seen. In 1968 the vehicles were renumbered as class 798, the driving trailers as 998; in 1988 a number of them were rebuilt for one-person operation as classes 796 and 996.

With the Deutsche Bundesbahn the railbuses lasted until 1999, and then began a second life. Private and regional operators bought them, among them the Dürener Kreisbahn and the Prignitzer Eisenbahn, which started operating in 1996 on the branch lines of the Prignitz in north-western Brandenburg. PEG ran twelve railbuses numbered T1–T12 until 2003, becoming known for the unusual liveries of its fleet and for experiments with running its vehicles on biodiesel. Some railcars even went to Turkey, where TCDD introduced them as class RM 3000. Individual examples still work heritage and tourist services today.

Prototype specifications (VT 98, class 798 from 1968):

• builder: Waggonfabrik Uerdingen
• number of railcars: 329 (plus 320 VB 98 trailers and 310 VS 98 driving trailers)
• engines: two naturally aspirated Büssing U 10 six-cylinder in-line diesels
• output: 110 kW per engine
• transmission: semi-automatic six-speed ZF 6E75S with five electromagnetic clutches
• duties: branch line passenger services, able to haul trailers and individual freight wagons
• designations from 1968: 798 (railcar), 998 (driving trailer), 796 and 996 after rebuilding
• service with DB: until 1999
• private operators: Prignitzer Eisenbahn (twelve vehicles T1–T12 until 2003), Dürener Kreisbahn among others

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO is a German company with over seventy years of history, active since 1949 and based in Sonneberg, Thuringia. Today it is one of the most popular model railway brands in Europe, with a range covering scales H0, TT, N and G. The G scale garden railway programme offers robustly built vehicles designed for outdoor running and easy to upgrade with digital technology. PIKO is also a leading producer of models of Polish rolling stock, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.