Piko 47484 TT - Rh 242 Electric Locomotive, CD, Era VI

Model of the Class 242 electric locomotive in Czech Railways livery

The angular steel outline of the Plecháč has been part of the railway scene in southern Moravia and western Bohemia for decades. The PIKO 47484 model reproduces a Class 242 electric locomotive in Czech Railways colours as seen in era VI — the guise in which these machines still haul regional and long-distance trains under AC catenary.

The model is finished to a high standard: precisely shaped bodywork, a highly detailed engine room and a finely rendered chassis. Modern LED lighting provides a directional white/red light change, and cab and engine room lighting can be switched digitally. Two traction tyres support the drive, while TT close couplers keep prototypical spacing between coaches. The NEM 662 Next18 interface is designed for straightforward decoder retrofitting, sound decoders included.

Model specifications:

• Scale: TT (1:120)
• Item number: PIKO 47484
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Length over buffers: 137 mm
• Railway administration: CD, era VI
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder interface: NEM 662 Next18 (decoder available separately)
• Sound decoder: PIKO no. 46553 — available separately
• Drive: powered, ready to run
• Traction tyres: 2
• Coupling: TT close coupler
• Minimum radius: 310 mm
• Lighting: LED, directional light change, white / red
• Digital functions (with decoder fitted): digitally switchable cab and engine room lighting
• Age recommendation: 14 years and up

Please note: a power supply unit and powered track are required to run this model.

This model is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. As delivered it runs on a conventional analogue layout supplied with direct current and controlled by a standard throttle. The NEM 662 Next18 interface makes retrofitting a DCC decoder easy at any time — the manufacturer names sound decoder PIKO no. 46553 as the matching item. Once a decoder is fitted the digital functions become available, including switchable cab and engine room lighting.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

On an analogue layout, speed and direction follow directly from the voltage applied to the rails, so one track section normally carries one moving vehicle. In a DCC system the track stays permanently energised and the command station sends coded instructions to the decoders inside individual locomotives, so each can be driven independently and additional functions — lighting, sound, shunting mode — can be called up. This model is supplied as an analogue locomotive with a prepared Next18 socket, so it fits both a classic DC layout and a later upgrade to digital control.

About the Class 242 (Škoda 73E) locomotive:

Class 242 was developed at the Škoda works in Plzeň as a further step on from the earlier Class 240, intended for the 25 kV 50 Hz AC network. For cost reasons the fibreglass bodywork used on its predecessors was dropped in favour of steel, which called for an entirely new body structure. That steel skin earned the locomotive the nickname Plecháč — roughly the tin one — as opposed to the older laminátky.

The locomotives were delivered in three batches between 1975 and 1981, the last of them closing a long chapter of first-generation Škoda deliveries. The four-axle Bo'Bo' machine offers a continuous output of 3,080 kW and a top speed of 120 km/h, with a maximum tractive effort of 240 kN and 173 kN continuous. Service weight is 84 tonnes and length over buffers 16,440 mm.

Originally designated S 499.02, the class formed the backbone of traction on the AC-electrified lines of southern Moravia and western Bohemia for decades. It worked local, semi-fast and freight trains, usually with formations of a few coaches, for instance on routes running from Břeclav towards Tišnov. Although more modern designs have long since joined them on the same tracks, the locomotives still work in Czech Railways and freight liveries, with a reputation among enthusiasts for exceptional durability.

Prototype specifications (Class 242 electric locomotive / Škoda 73E):

• Builder: Škoda Plzeň
• Works type: 73E
• Build years and quantity: 1975–1981, 86 units delivered in three batches
• Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
• Length over buffers: 16,440 mm
• Service weight: 84 t
• Continuous power output: 3,080 kW
• Tractive effort: 173 kN continuous, up to 240 kN maximum
• Top speed: 120 km/h
• Supply system: 25 kV 50 Hz
• Duties: mixed traffic — passenger and freight services on AC lines

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO's history goes back to 1949 and to Sonneberg in Thuringia, still the company's home today. More than seventy years of work have placed the brand among the leading European model railway manufacturers. The catalogue covers H0, TT, N and G scales, from compact indoor layouts to garden railways. TT scale has traditionally been one of PIKO's strengths, particularly for German and Central European prototypes. The PIKO Expert line focuses on a high level of detail combined with modern digital technology — standard decoder interfaces and sound preparation. PIKO is also a leading producer of models of Polish rolling stock, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.