Piko 47150 TT - Steam locomotive BR 91.3, DR, Era III

Model of a Class 91.3 tank locomotive in Deutsche Reichsbahn livery

A ready-to-run model of a Class 91.3 tank locomotive (Prussian T 9.3) in Deutsche Reichsbahn colours from Era III, produced by PIKO in TT scale as a 2026 novelty. The locomotive is reproduced in the version with a DR-style cab and DRG-style lamps, with the coal bunker extension characteristic of these machines.

The model stands out with its fine spoked wheels and delicate valve gear, a Knorr-type air pump and numerous separately applied details: handrails, whistle, bell, smoke deflectors, pipes, handwheels and sand pipes. In digital operation, switchable cab lighting is available. The vehicle is supplied as an analogue model, without a decoder, with a modern Next18 interface prepared for quick digitalisation. Brake hoses and coupling hooks for self-assembly are included.

Model technical data:

• Scale: TT (1:120)
• Item number: 47150
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Railway: DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn)
• Era: III (1945–1970)
• Model length: 89 mm
• Power supply: direct current DC
• Decoder interface: NEM 662 – Next18 (analogue model, without decoder)
• Sound decoder for retrofitting: no. 46557
• Coupler: TT close coupler
• Digitally switchable cab lighting (once a decoder is fitted)
• Lighting: white lights changing with the direction of travel
• Fine spoked wheels and delicate valve gear
• Numerous separately applied handrails, pipes, handwheels and sand pipes
• Brake hoses and coupling hooks included
• Minimum radius: 310 mm
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

Note: a DC analogue power pack and a powered track are required to run the model.

The model is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. As delivered it runs on a conventional analogue layout powered by direct current (DC) and has no decoder installed. Thanks to its Next18 (NEM 662) interface the model is prepared for digitalisation – simply fit a decoder to control it via DCC. The manufacturer has provided for retrofitting a PIKO sound decoder (no. 46557), allowing the model to be expanded with sound and independent function control.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

The DCC digital control system allows several vehicles to run independently on the same track. Each vehicle receives individual commands at a constant track voltage, enabling a realistic representation of movement and separate control of the lights and sound effects of each model. In an analogue system all vehicles on a given circuit are controlled simultaneously by changing the supply voltage. The PIKO 47150 model is supplied in an analogue version (without a decoder), but thanks to its decoder interface it can be converted to digital control at any time.

About the Prussian T 9.3 (Class 91.3):

The Prussian T 9.3 was one of the most numerous tank locomotives of the Prussian state railways – a versatile machine that proved equally successful in passenger and freight service. Production began in 1901, with the locomotives built by several works, among them the Union-Gießerei in Königsberg. More than 2,000 examples were built in total, making the type one of the most widely produced locomotives in Germany. The Imperial Railways of Alsace-Lorraine also ordered a further 132 locomotives of this proven design.

In 1925 the Deutsche Reichsbahn took over the majority of these vehicles and classified them as Class 91 (group 91.3–18). During their long service life many examples were transferred abroad, including to Czechoslovakia and Poland, where the Polish State Railways designated them Tki3. After the Second World War numerous machines remained in Germany, where they worked reliably into the 1960s and 1970s. A combination of power, versatility and solid engineering means the T 9.3 still stands as a symbol of early steam-era engineering. The model reproduces a Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR) example from Era III, with a DR-style cab and DRG-style lamps.

Original technical data (Prussian T 9.3 / Class 91.3):

• Builders: incl. Union-Gießerei Königsberg, Borsig, Henschel, Schichau
• Production from: 1901 (more than 2,000 examples in total)
• Wheel arrangement: 1'C (one leading carrying axle and three coupled driving axles)
• Driving wheel diameter: 1,350 mm
• Boiler pressure: 12 bar
• Maximum speed: 65 km/h
• DRG classification: Class 91.3–18
• PKP designation: Tki3
• Purpose: passenger and freight service on main and secondary lines

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO is a German model railway manufacturer with over seventy years of tradition, founded in 1949 in Sonneberg, Thuringia. Today it is one of the most popular model railway brands in Europe and a notable producer of European rolling stock, including Polish prototypes in PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo liveries. Its range covers locomotives, wagons and complete trains from N up to G scale, with selected models equipped at the factory with DCC and sound decoders. PIKO products are valued by modellers and collectors worldwide for their fidelity, functionality and modern digital technology.