Piko 37766 G - Res-x low-sided flatcar, DB, Era IV

Model of the Res-x low-side flat wagon in Deutsche Bahn livery

Stakes, low sides and a flat deck – that simplicity is the strength of the flat wagon, which for decades carried logs, pipes, wire coils, machinery and construction plant. This PIKO G scale model presents a Res-x low-side flat wagon in Deutsche Bahn colours of Era IV, the period when wagons of this kind formed the backbone of oversize and industrial traffic in western Germany. On a garden layout the flat wagon also doubles as a vehicle for displaying your own loads, from timber to scale road vehicles.

The wagon carries prototype-accurate paintwork and lettering, with sharp, contrasting printing that stays legible from a distance. The construction is clearly aimed at durability: a sturdy body and underframe designed for year-round running on garden track, where rolling stock is exposed to sun, damp and swings in temperature. Excellent rolling characteristics translate into quiet running even in a long train behind a G scale locomotive.

Model specifications:

• scale: G (garden railway)
• item number: 37766
• manufacturer: PIKO
• length over buffers: 486 mm
• vehicle: Res-x low-side flat wagon
• railway administration: DB
• era: IV
• finish: prototype-accurate paintwork and lettering
• reinforced construction for outdoor operation
• excellent rolling characteristics
• minimum radius: 600 mm
• ready-to-run model, no assembly or painting required
• age recommendation: 14 years and up

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

It is a trailing vehicle for trains hauled by a locomotive – to set it in motion you need a G scale locomotive and a powered track. The minimum radius is 600 mm, which matches the curves typically used on garden railways. The wagon contains no electronics, so it can join a train controlled either analogue or digitally.

About the Res flat wagon:

Wagons of the Res family are four-axle bogie flat wagons of standard design, fitted with stakes and hinged side and end flaps. That combination gives great freedom in loading: with the flaps down a completely level deck is accessible from the side and from above, while the stakes secure long loads, above all round timber, sawn wood, pipes and steel products. One wagon type therefore covered a very wide range of traffic, from forestry consignments to deliveries for the engineering industry.

The wagon designation comes from the UIC system. The class letter R stands for bogie flat wagons of standard design, and the lower-case index letters specify the equipment of a given variant. An addition written after a hyphen, as in Res-x, is a national supplementary letter used outside the UIC code itself, marking additional features adopted by a particular railway administration.

In Era IV flat wagons of this type were among the most common vehicles in German freight traffic. They could be seen both in trip workings serving industrial sidings and in trunk trains between major marshalling yards. Their versatility meant that many examples survived successive fleet reforms, and some later passed into the railway's own internal service, working engineers' trains and permanent way material transports.

Prototype specifications (flat wagon of the Res family):

• type: four-axle bogie flat wagon of standard design
• equipment: stakes with hinged side and end flaps
• purpose: carriage of timber, steel products, pipes, machinery and oversize loads
• operator modelled: DB
• period modelled: Era IV (1970–1990)
• designation: UIC code with a national supplementary letter written after a hyphen

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO's history goes back to 1949, and for decades the brand has been associated with Sonneberg in Thuringia and with solid European model railway engineering. The range covers scales H0, TT, N and G, with the garden railway programme built around vehicles designed for durability and outdoor work. G scale freight wagons combine bold printing and carefully executed details with weather-resistant construction. PIKO is also one of the leading producers of models of Polish rolling stock, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.