Piko 50747 H0 - RH 75 ex BR 91 Steam Locomotive, NS, Era III, DCC with sound

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

A design that spent half a century on local passenger trains, short freights and shunting duties now arrives as a fully sounded model. The Prussian T 9.3, Class 91.3 to the Deutsche Reichsbahn, also served in the Netherlands after the Second World War as the class 75 - and it is in that guise, set in Era III, that PIKO presents it in H0 scale. Despite its modest size of 123 mm over buffers, the model offers a remarkably complete set of functions.

Built to PIKO Expert standards, it takes account of the structural and visual details of the prototype: a rounded cab roof, a clear view through the windows into the intricately detailed cab, a free-standing whistle on the roof, the bell on the boiler, authentic lamps and piping. The running gear has finely die-cast wheels and delicate brake rigging. The factory-integrated PIKO PSD XP sound decoder enables control of the lighting in the cab and running gear area, while a digitally controlled flickering LED in the firebox area simulates glowing red coals. All lighting, including the direction-dependent headlight change, uses modern maintenance-free LED technology, and the numerous locomotive-specific sounds complete the impression.

Model specifications:

• scale: H0 (1:87)
• item number: PIKO 50747
• manufacturer: PIKO, Expert range
• length over buffers: 123 mm
• era: III, operator NS (Netherlands Railways)
• power supply: DC
• decoder interface: NEM 658 PluX16
• decoder: factory-installed PluX16 sound decoder (PIKO PSD XP)
• traction tyres: 2
• coupling: NEM coupler pocket
• minimum radius: 422 mm
• lighting: LED, directional white / white light change
• digital functions: cab lighting, running gear lighting, flickering firebox glow
• sound effects: prototype-based steam locomotive sounds
• 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 DCC command station and a powered track are required to operate 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 a DC analogue layout is possible only if the decoder has the alternative power source function, that is analogue operation, enabled; under the DCC standard this is governed by bit 2 of configuration variable CV29. The function is active by default, but if it has previously been switched off, applying DC track voltage may damage the decoder. In analogue mode only basic running is available, without sound or digital functions.

Model railways - digital or analogue control?

In analogue operation, speed and direction depend on the voltage fed to the track, so every vehicle in the circuit behaves in the same way. A DCC digital system keeps the rails permanently powered while the command station sends addressed instructions to the decoders fitted in the vehicles, so each locomotive runs independently and the operator can switch its lighting, sound and special effects. With a factory-installed sound decoder and extensive lighting functions, this model is intended above all for DCC digital operation.

About the class 75 locomotive, formerly the T 9.3:

The Prussian T 9.3 ranks among the most numerous German steam locomotives ever built. It appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century as a universal tank engine with one leading carrying axle and three coupled axles, intended for local passenger and freight work as well as shunting. More than two thousand were supplied to the Prussian state railways, with production running into the mid 1910s.

After the Deutsche Reichsbahn was formed, the type was grouped into Class 91.3 and above. A simple, robust design, light axle loading and the ability to run in either direction without turning helped these locomotives survive both world wars and reach many European countries - Austria among them, where two formed the ÖBB class 691 after 1945, and Poland, where they were classified as TKi3.

The examples that remained in the Netherlands after the war entered the Netherlands Railways fleet as the 7500 series, abbreviated by PIKO as Rh 75. It is this chapter of the story, complete with Dutch livery and lettering, that the model represents. More than a dozen locomotives of the type survive in European museums and heritage collections.

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:

Since 1949, when the first models left the works in Sonneberg in Thuringia, PIKO has been developing its range without a break for more than seventy years and is today one of the most recognisable model railway brands in Europe. The catalogue covers H0, TT, N and G scales and addresses beginners and demanding collectors alike. The PIKO Expert series, which includes this locomotive, combines refined workmanship and free-standing detail with factory sound decoders and modern LED lighting. PIKO is also a leading manufacturer of Polish prototype models - PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo.