Piko 37533 G - V36 Diesel Locomotive, DR, Era III

Model of the V36 diesel shunting locomotive in Deutsche Reichsbahn livery

The V36 was created to work where a steam locomotive was unwelcome: in refineries, beside fuel tanks and ammunition depots, where sparks and hot ash meant risk. This PIKO G scale model presents the locomotive in Deutsche Reichsbahn colours of Era III, the period when the East German railway took it into its own fleet list and used it both on short line duties and in heavy shunting. The compact shape with its long engine compartment, tall cab and coupling rods works well in the large scale, where every part of the running gear is on show.

The model is built with real outdoor operation in mind. Chrome-plated wheelsets running in ball bearings give light, quiet running, and direction-dependent lights shine white at both ends. The cab has a detailed interior with lighting, which gives the locomotive presence after dark as well. The manufacturer has prepared the model for straightforward retrofitting with a digital decoder and sound module, naming PIKO sound decoder 36224 as the matching unit.

Model specifications:

• scale: G (garden railway)
• item number: 37533
• manufacturer: PIKO
• length over buffers: 370 mm
• vehicle: V36 diesel shunting locomotive
• railway administration: DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn)
• era: III
• drive: chrome-plated wheelsets running in ball bearings
• digital preparation: ready for retrofitting a digital decoder and sound module
• matching PIKO sound decoder available separately: item 36224
• direction-dependent lighting: white / white
• cab interior lighting
• 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 – speed and direction are governed by the voltage applied to the track. The design is prepared for a decoder, so the locomotive can be moved over to DCC digital operation at any time; the manufacturer names sound decoder 36224 as the matching unit. Once a decoder is fitted, digital control of running and lighting together with sound effects becomes available.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

Analogue control means regulating the voltage in the track: the higher the voltage the faster the vehicle runs, and reversing the polarity reverses the direction. It is simple and dependable, but every vehicle in a powered section behaves the same way. In a DCC digital system the track voltage stays constant while the command station sends addressed instructions to decoders fitted in the vehicles, so several locomotives can be driven independently and lighting or sound can be switched at will. This model is set up for analogue DC running as delivered and at the same time prepared for a decoder, so it can join a digital layout without any bodywork modification.

About the V36 locomotive:

The design originated in the late 1930s as the WR 360 C 14, a diesel locomotive developed by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Motorlokomotiven, a joint undertaking of Berliner Maschinenbau and Orenstein & Koppel. The military order had a clear purpose: to remove steam locomotives from areas at risk of explosion such as refineries, fuel and ammunition depots, ports and airfields. In total 261 locomotives of the type were built.

It was a machine with a C wheel arrangement, its three coupled axles driven through a jackshaft and coupling rods. The basic variant had a 3,600 mm wheelbase, while the V 36.4 version had 4,400 mm and an overall length of 9,240 mm. Power was transmitted through a Voith multi-stage hydraulic transmission, although some machines received a mechanical gearbox. The V 36.1 version used by DB was powered by an MWM RHS 235 S engine of 103 litres displacement, developing 360 hp, that is 265 kW, at 600 rpm.

After the war the locomotives were divided among the state railways. The Deutsche Bundesbahn introduced class V 36 in 1949, redesignated 236 from 1968; the Deutsche Reichsbahn used the designation V 36 from 1957 and class 103 from 1970; in Austria the machines formed ÖBB class 2065. With DR they worked line duties at first and later almost exclusively shunting – among other places in the oil port of Wismar and at fuel depots. They were the only DR class fitted with explosion protection, which secured them a long career. After modernisation some machines received a VEB SKL 6 NVD 36 engine of 428 hp, that is 315 kW, at 500 rpm. Withdrawals began in the 1980s and the last locomotive ended its service in May 1982.

Prototype specifications (WR 360 C 14 / V 36):

• designer: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Motorlokomotiven (Berliner Maschinenbau and Orenstein & Koppel)
• period of construction: from the late 1930s
• number built: 261
• wheel arrangement: C
• wheelbase: 3,600 mm (V 36.4 variant: 4,400 mm)
• length of the V 36.4 variant: 9,240 mm
• engine in the DB V 36.1 version: MWM RHS 235 S, 103 litres displacement
• output: 360 hp (265 kW) at 600 rpm
• engine after DR modernisation: VEB SKL 6 NVD 36, 428 hp (315 kW) at 500 rpm
• transmission: Voith multi-stage hydraulic gearbox with jackshaft and coupling rods
• duties: shunting and light line work, including areas at risk of explosion
• post-war designations: DB V 36 (class 236 from 1968), DR V 36 (class 103 from 1970), ÖBB 2065

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO has been in business since 1949 and ranks among the most recognisable European model railway brands. The company is based in Sonneberg, Thuringia, and its range covers scales H0, TT, N and G. The G scale garden railway is a separate, consistently developed programme: robust models designed for outdoor running and easy to upgrade with decoders, sound and lighting. PIKO is also one of the leading producers of models of Polish rolling stock, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.