Piko 50744 H0 - BR 91 Steam Locomotive, DRG, Era II, DCC with sound

Digital Class 91.3 tank locomotive model in Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft livery

A digital model of the Class 91.3 tank locomotive — the Prussian T 9.3 as taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft. This was a machine from the period when the steam railway reached its peak: equally at home on freight, passenger and shunting duties. The model was produced in H0 scale within the PIKO Expert range and comes with a factory-fitted sound decoder.

The model reflects the characteristic features of the prototype: the rounded cab roof, with a detailed interior visible through the windows, the whistle on the roof, the bell on the boiler and separately fitted lamps and piping. The running gear is equally well worked out, with finely cast wheels and delicate brake rigging. The factory-fitted PIKO sound decoder controls the cab and running gear lighting, and a digitally controlled flickering LED in the firebox area imitates glowing coals. All lighting uses LED technology, and numerous locomotive-specific sounds complete the picture of a steam engine at work.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 50744
• Manufacturer: PIKO (Expert range)
• Model length: 123 mm
• Era: II
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder socket: NEM 658 – PluX16
• Decoder: PIKO sound decoder, factory-fitted
• Traction tyres: 2
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket
• Minimum radius: 422 mm
• Lighting: lights changing with the direction of travel: white and white
• Digitally switchable cab and running gear lighting
• Flickering LED in the firebox area imitating glowing coals
• LED lighting throughout
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

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

The model is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. To use all the digital functions — sound and independent lighting control — a DCC command station is required (for example the PIKO SmartControl or any other DCC-compatible controller) connected to powered track. The model can also be run on a conventional analogue DC layout, but only provided that the decoder has the alternative power source function enabled (analogue operation — controlled in the DCC standard by bit 2 of register CV29). It is active by default, but if it has previously been switched off, applying DC to the track may damage the decoder. In analogue mode only basic running is available — without sound or digital functions.

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 50744 has a factory-fitted sound decoder and is intended above all for digital operation.

About the Prussian T 9.3:

The T 9.3 was the most numerous and most successful member of the Prussian T 9 tank engine family, built for the Prussian State Railways from 1901. The key innovation over the earlier T 9.2 was the Krauss-Helmholtz bogie, coupling the leading carrying axle to the first driving axle. This gave the 2-6-0T a steady ride in both directions and good behaviour through curves. More than two thousand were built by many German works, including Henschel, Krauss, Schwartzkopff and Hanomag.

Versatility decided the career of the design. The T 9.3 hauled local passenger and freight trains, worked suburban services and shunted at major stations. In 1925 the Deutsche Reichsbahn grouped them into class 91.3–18. After both world wars, through reparations and border changes, the engines spread across Europe — reaching Poland as class TKi3, Czechoslovakia as class 335.1, and also Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Lithuania.

After 1945 some 350 engines remained in West Germany and about 230 in East Germany, working into the 1960s. Withdrawal in the various countries continued until roughly 1971. More than a dozen survived as museum exhibits and heritage railway locomotives. In Poland the TKi3 was a typical suburban and branch line engine of the first half of the twentieth century.

Prototype specifications (Prussian T 9.3 / Class 91.3):

• Manufacturer: numerous German works including Henschel, Krauss, Schwartzkopff, Hanomag and Vulcan
• Built: approx. 1901–1914
• Output: more than 2,000 units
• Wheel arrangement: 2-6-0T with Krauss-Helmholtz bogie
• Length: approx. 11,200 mm
• Service weight: approx. 54 t
• Power: approx. 346 kW
• Top speed: 65 km/h in both directions
• Designations abroad: PKP TKi3, ČSD 335.1, ÖBB 691, SNCB type 93
• Role: local passenger and freight trains, suburban services, shunting

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.