Piko 47485 TT - Rh 242 Electric Locomotive, CD, Era VI, DCC with sound

Sound-equipped model of the Class 242 electric locomotive in Czech Railways livery

Class 242 electrics have been hauling trains under AC catenary in southern and western Bohemia for close to half a century. The PIKO 47485 model portrays one of them in Czech Railways colours of era VI — the look familiar from today's regional and long-distance services. This is the sound version, conceived for digitally controlled layouts.

The model features precisely shaped bodywork, a highly detailed engine room and a finely rendered chassis. Modern LED lighting delivers a directional white/red light change, while cab and engine room lighting can be switched digitally. The factory-installed PSD XP sound decoder reproduces authentic vehicle sounds together with country-specific announcements. Two traction tyres support the drive and TT close couplers keep prototypical spacing between coaches.

Model specifications:

• Scale: TT (1:120)
• Item number: PIKO 47485
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Length over buffers: 137 mm
• Railway administration: CD, era VI
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder: factory-installed Next18 PSD XP sound decoder (NEM 662 Next18 interface)
• 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: digitally switchable cab and engine room lighting
• Sound: authentic vehicle sounds and country-specific announcements
• Age recommendation: 14 years and up

Please note: a DCC command station and powered track are required to run this model.

This model is not a starter set and includes neither track nor a controller. To use its full range of functions you need a DCC command station — for example PIKO SmartControl or another DCC-compatible controller — connected to a powered track. Running on an analogue DC layout is possible only if the decoder has the alternative power source function, that is analogue operation, switched on; in the DCC standard this is controlled by bit 2 of configuration variable CV29. The function is active by default, but if it has previously been switched off, feeding the track with direct current may damage the decoder. In analogue mode only basic running is available, without sound or digital functions.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

With analogue control the voltage on the rails sets speed and direction, so one track section normally carries one moving vehicle. DCC control relies on a permanently energised track and coded instructions sent by the command station to the decoders inside the locomotives — each can be driven independently, acceleration and braking can be finely tuned, and lighting and sound functions can be triggered. With its factory-installed sound decoder, this locomotive was designed first and foremost for digital layouts, where it makes full use of its capabilities.

About the Class 242 (Škoda 73E) locomotive:

Class 242 is a product of the Škoda works in Plzeň and a direct development of Class 240, intended for lines electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC. The fibreglass body of the earlier machines was replaced by steel panelling, which meant designing the body structure from scratch. That change gave the locomotive its nickname Plecháč, setting it apart from the older laminátky.

Deliveries came in three batches between 1975 and 1981 and closed a long chapter of first-generation Škoda locomotive production. The four-axle Bo'Bo' machine offers a continuous output of 3,080 kW and a top speed of 120 km/h, with maximum tractive effort reaching 240 kN. At 84 tonnes in service and 16,440 mm over buffers it is a compact design, yet markedly more powerful than its predecessors.

The locomotives originally carried the designation S 499.02, later changed to Class 242. For decades they formed the backbone of traction on the AC-electrified lines of southern Moravia and western Bohemia, working local, semi-fast and freight trains. They can still be found in regular service, freight duties included, valued for their simplicity and reliability.

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 is a German brand with more than seventy years of history, founded in 1949 in Sonneberg, Thuringia, where it is still based today. It ranks among the most popular model railway manufacturers in Europe, with a range spanning H0, TT, N and G scales. In TT scale the company steadily expands its catalogue of German and Central European prototypes, reaching out to Czech, Hungarian and Austrian vehicles as well. The PIKO Expert line stands for a high level of detail combined with modern digital technology — NEM-standard interfaces and factory-installed motor and sound decoders. PIKO is also a leading producer of models of Polish rolling stock, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.