Piko 47151 TT - Steam locomotive BR 91.3, DR, Era III, DCC with sound

Digital model of a Class 91.3 tank locomotive in Deutsche Reichsbahn livery

A digital, 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 has a factory-fitted Next18 sound decoder and offers realistic sound with many functions, plus digitally switchable cab and headlight illumination. It 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. Brake hoses and coupling hooks for self-assembly are included.

Model technical data:

• Scale: TT (1:120)
• Item number: 47151
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Railway: DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn)
• Era: III (1945–1970)
• Model length: 89 mm
• Power supply: direct current DC
• Decoder interface: NEM 662 – Next18 (sound decoder included)
• Coupler: TT close coupler
• Digitally switchable cab and headlight illumination
• Lighting: white lights changing with the direction of travel
• Sound effects: realistic sound with many functions
• 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 DCC digital command station 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. To use all the digital functions – sound, lighting control and the remaining effects – a DCC command station (e.g. PIKO SmartControl or any other DCC-compatible controller) connected to a powered track is required. The model can also be run on a conventional analogue layout powered by direct current (DC), but only provided that the decoder has its alternative power source function (analogue operation – governed by bit 2 of register CV29 in the DCC standard) switched on. It is active by default, but if it has previously been disabled, supplying the track with DC may damage the decoder. In analogue mode only basic running is available – without sound or digital functions.

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 47151 model has a factory-fitted DCC decoder with sound and is intended primarily for digital control.

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.