Piko 51134 H0 - BR 152 Electric Locomotive, Captrain, Era VI, DCC with Sound

Model of the class 152 electric locomotive in Captrain colours with factory sound decoder

A modern freight electric only shows its character once you can hear the converter working and the fans spooling up. This H0 scale model represents a class 152 locomotive, the production version of the Siemens EuroSprinter family, in its Era VI condition. The prototype is one of the two machines Siemens built under the ES64F designation for its own leasing company, later sold to the ITL railway and now running for Captrain in a striking neon green livery.

Technically the model continues the proven line of PIKO Expert models. The angular EuroSprinter body is finished with a precise reproduction of the livery and operator markings. A powerful central motor drives the locomotive, with two flywheels optimising the running characteristics. Diagonally arranged traction tyres on the two inner axles provide additional adhesion and allow substantial model freight trains to be hauled. In digital operation with the PIKO SmartDecoder XP 5.1 the cab and control desk lighting as well as the headlights can be switched digitally, while the factory sound equipment adds realistic vehicle sounds thanks to PIKO TrainSound.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Item number: 51134
• Manufacturer: PIKO, PIKO Expert range
• Length over buffers: 226 mm
• Railway administration: Captrain (private operator)
• Era: VI (from 2006)
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder: PluX22 sound decoder fitted at the factory
• Decoder interface: NEM 658 PluX22
• Drive: central motor with two flywheels
• Traction tyres: 2, diagonally arranged on the inner axles
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling mechanism
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: directional headlights, white / red
• Digital functions: switchable cab and control desk lighting, controllable headlights
• Sound effects: realistic vehicle sounds with PIKO TrainSound
• Ready to run, factory painted and printed
• Age recommendation: 14 years and up

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

This model is not a starter set and contains neither track nor a controller. To use its full range of functions you need a DCC command station, for example the 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 its alternative power source function enabled, that is analogue operation, which in the DCC standard is controlled by bit 2 of register CV29. This 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?

Analogue control works by varying the track voltage, so all vehicles in a section react in the same way and the number of independently driven locomotives depends on how the layout is divided into blocks. In a DCC system the track voltage stays constant while the command station sends addressed instructions to the decoders in individual vehicles, allowing several locomotives to run at once and their auxiliary functions to be switched. With its factory sound decoder, this model is intended for exactly this kind of DCC layout.

About the class 152 locomotive:

In the early 1990s a need arose for modern and powerful three-phase locomotives for freight service. In 1993 DB started developing such a vehicle and the Siemens and Krauss-Maffei consortium prevailed. By 1995 the prototype 152 001-4 was completed as the second member of the EuroSprinter family. Of an order for 195 units, DB AG eventually took delivery of 170 locomotives, built between 1996 and 2001 at the works in Munich and Uerdingen.

On entering service all machines were allocated to the Nuremberg marshalling yard, and from there they work freight trains throughout Germany, with a particular focus on hinterland traffic from the Port of Hamburg via the Maschen marshalling yard. The class 152 delivers 6,400 kW of power and 300 kN of tractive effort, runs at up to 140 km/h, has a Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement and takes current from the 15 kV 16.7 Hz overhead system.

Besides the DB AG fleet, Siemens also built two machines designated ES64F for its in-house leasing company Dispolok, where they carried the numbers 152 901 and 152 902. Both were later sold to the ITL railway company and today run for Captrain in the distinctive neon green livery that sets them clearly apart from the red DB Cargo machines.

Prototype specifications (class 152, Siemens ES64F):

• Builders: Krauss-Maffei as main contractor, Siemens responsible for the electrical equipment
• Years built: 1996-2001, prototype completed in 1995
• Quantity: of an order for 195 units DB AG took 170 locomotives, plus two ES64F machines for Dispolok
• Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
• Length over buffers: 19,580 mm
• Service weight: 86.7 t
• Axle load: 21.7 t
• Continuous power: 6,400 kW
• Tractive effort: 300 kN
• Motors: four Siemens traction motors with nose-suspended drive
• Power system: 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
• Maximum speed: 140 km/h
• Purpose: heavy freight service

About the manufacturer - PIKO:

PIKO is one of the most recognisable names in European model railways, on the market since 1949 and closely linked with Sonneberg in Thuringia. More than seventy years of production have resulted in a broad range across H0, TT, N and G scales, covering rolling stock, track, digital control and layout components. The PIKO Expert series combines finely detailed bodies with modern digital technology, including the SmartDecoder XP 5.1 and PIKO TrainSound. The manufacturer has also built up an extensive range of Polish prototype models for PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo.