Piko 50746 H0 - Rh 75 ex BR 91 Steam Locomotive, NS, Era III

Model of the class 75 steam tank locomotive, former BR 91, in Netherlands Railways livery, H0 scale

A small, sturdy tank engine equally at home on a local passenger train, a short freight or a shunting turn - that is the Prussian T 9.3 in a sentence, known to the Deutsche Reichsbahn as Class 91.3. This PIKO H0 model captures its post-war identity: a class 75 machine in Netherlands Railways colours of Era III. At 123 mm over buffers it is one of those locomotives that bring even a compact layout to life, whether a country station, an industrial siding or an engine shed scene.

The model belongs to the PIKO Expert range and takes account of the structural and visual details of the prototype. The cab roof is rounded and the windows below give a clear view of the intricately detailed cab interior. Numerous free-standing components stand out: the whistle on the roof, the bell on the boiler, authentic lamps and piping. The same care applies to the running gear, with finely die-cast wheels and delicate brake rigging. Lighting changes with the direction of travel in the white to white pattern typical of Dutch practice. Two traction tyres support the drive, and the NEM 658 PluX16 interface allows a digital decoder to be fitted.

Model specifications:

• scale: H0 (1:87)
• item number: PIKO 50746
• manufacturer: PIKO, Expert range
• length over buffers: 123 mm
• era: III, operator NS (Netherlands Railways)
• power supply: DC
• decoder interface: NEM 658 PluX16 (decoder sold separately)
• matching PIKO sound decoder for retrofitting: no. 56643
• traction tyres: 2
• coupling: NEM coupler pocket
• minimum radius: 422 mm
• lighting: directional white / white light change
• detailing: free-standing parts, die-cast wheels, fine brake rigging, glazed and fitted cab
• ready to run, factory painted and lettered
• age recommendation: 14 years and up

Please note: a power pack and a powered track are required to operate this model.

This model is not a starter set and includes neither track nor a controller. As delivered it runs on a conventional DC analogue layout, for which a standard variable power pack is sufficient. The NEM 658 PluX16 interface allows a DCC decoder to be fitted at any time - the manufacturer lists PIKO sound decoder no. 56643 as the matching item. With a decoder installed the model gains digital functions, including independent lighting control and sound effects.

Model railways - digital or analogue control?

Analogue control relies on varying the track voltage: the higher the voltage, the faster every vehicle in the circuit runs, and reversing the polarity reverses the direction. In a DCC digital system the track is permanently powered and the command station sends addressed instructions to the decoders, so each locomotive responds only to its own commands and its auxiliary functions can be switched. This model leaves the factory in the DC analogue version, and the PluX16 interface makes the move to digital control possible at any time.

About the class 75 locomotive, formerly the T 9.3:

The Prussian T 9.3 was one of the most numerous German steam locomotives ever built. Designed at the beginning of the twentieth century as a universal tank engine with a single leading carrying axle and three coupled axles, it was intended for passenger, freight and shunting work on secondary lines. More than two thousand were built for the Prussian state railways, with production continuing into the mid 1910s.

When the Deutsche Reichsbahn was formed, these locomotives were grouped into Class 91.3 and above. Their simplicity, light axle loads and ability to run equally well in both directions helped them survive both world wars and spread across Europe. Examples reached Austria, where two of them formed the ÖBB class 691 after 1945, and Poland, where they were classified as TKi3.

Some of the machines that ended up in the Netherlands during the war remained there after 1945 and were taken into the Netherlands Railways fleet as the 7500 series, abbreviated by PIKO as Rh 75. It is such a locomotive, in Dutch colours and in the setting of Era III, that this model represents. More than a dozen locomotives of the type survive today in European railway museums.

Prototype specifications (Prussian T 9.3, DRG Class 91.3):

• builders: German locomotive works, among them Henschel
• build years: from 1901 to the mid 1910s
• number built: more than 2000 for the Prussian state railways
• wheel arrangement: 1'C n2t
• length over buffers: 10,700 mm
• service weight: 46.1 t
• adhesive weight: 36.1 t
• driving wheel diameter: 1350 mm
• boiler pressure: 12 bar
• engine: two-cylinder simple expansion, cylinder bore 450 mm
• indicated power: 346 kW (470 hp)
• top speed: 65 km/h
• duties: local passenger and freight trains, shunting

About the manufacturer - PIKO:

PIKO is a German company with more than seventy years of history, founded in 1949 in Sonneberg, Thuringia, and today one of the most popular model railway manufacturers in Europe. The range covers H0, TT, N and G scales, from starter sets to advanced models for collectors. The PIKO Expert line, to which this locomotive belongs, is distinguished by a high level of detail, free-standing components and modern digital technology. The company also produces a wide selection of Polish prototypes, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.