Piko 37929 G - 2nd-class passenger car, Era III

Second class private railway passenger coach model for the garden railway

A model of a second class private railway passenger coach from era III, intended for the garden railway in G scale. In those years dozens of local railways operated alongside the state railway, and their passenger stock — often older and colourfully painted — gave formations a distinctly individual character.

The model stands out for a detailed interior visible through the windows and for good running qualities. Robust construction and weather-resistant materials allow the coach to run on a garden layout throughout the season, and a minimum radius of 600 mm means it also fits smaller track plans.

Model specifications:

• Scale: G (garden railway, 45 mm track gauge)
• Catalogue number: 37929
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 350 mm
• Era: III
• Minimum radius: 600 mm
• Visible, detailed interior
• 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 37929 is an unpowered wagon without electronics, so it can be marshalled into trains hauled in either analogue or digital operation.

About private railway passenger stock in era III:

Era III under the NEM 800 standard covers the years 1949 to 1970 — in West Germany a period of network reconstruction, dominant steam traction and the first diesel multiple units. Alongside the state railway there were dozens of private and local railways, referred to as non-federal railways: short regional lines feeding traffic into the DB network and serving agriculture, quarries and industrial plants.

The passenger stock of such railways usually consisted of older vehicles taken over from the state railways or bought second-hand, often modernised, in individual colourful liveries with the company’s crest or name. It is precisely this variety that makes them a rewarding modelling subject — a single coach can give a whole train a local character.

It is worth remembering the change of classes: on 3 June 1956 third class was abolished in Germany, with the former third class becoming second and the former second becoming first. A coach described as second class in an era III setting is therefore usually a former third class vehicle with simple interior fittings.

Prototype data:

• Administration: private (non-federal) railway
• Era: III (1949–1970)
• Class: second (after the 1956 reform of classes)
• Role: passenger services on local and regional lines

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.