Piko 51194 H0 - BR 244 Electric Locomotive, DR, Era IV, DCC with sound

Model of the class 244 mixed traffic electric locomotive of the Deutsche Reichsbahn with factory sound decoder

A pre-war design still hard at work in the 1980s, dressed in green with red bogies, is one of the most characteristic images of East German electric traction. This H0 scale model depicts a class 244 electric locomotive of the Deutsche Reichsbahn as it appeared in Era IV, after the computerised renumbering of 1970.

The model is produced as a printed version in green livery with red bogies, with precisely applied markings and running numbers. The sound variant leaves the factory with a PIKO sound decoder in the PluX22 socket and the largest possible speaker, which gives the vehicle sounds real body. In digital operation the cab lighting can also be switched, along with the directional white and red headlights. Two traction tyres increase the pulling power, while NEM 362 coupler pockets with close coupling mechanisms keep the gap between vehicles small.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Item number: 51194
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Length over buffers: 176 mm
• Railway administration: DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn)
• Era: IV (1970-1990)
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder: PluX22 sound decoder fitted at the factory
• Decoder interface: NEM 658 PluX22
• Drive: powered model with its own motor
• Traction tyres: 2
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling mechanism
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: directional headlights, white / red
• Digital functions: switchable cab lighting, sound functions
• Sound effects: factory sound equipment with the largest possible speaker
• 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?

With analogue control, speed and direction follow the voltage fed to the track, so every vehicle in a section behaves the same way. In a DCC system the track voltage stays constant while the command station sends addressed instructions to the decoders in individual vehicles, so several locomotives can run at once and their auxiliary functions can be switched. With its factory sound decoder, this locomotive is built for operation on a DCC layout.

About the class 244 locomotive:

The class 244 is the former E 44, considered the first German mixed traffic electric locomotive to be built in significant numbers. The design emerged around the turn of the 1930s, when three works independently built prototypes, and the solutions gathered in the production series became a template for many later locomotives. The key step was dispensing with carrying axles and adopting nose-suspended motors, which produced a compact Bo'Bo' machine that was easy to maintain.

Production started in 1932 and resumed after the war in 1950 and 1951 and again in 1955, for a total of 187 locomotives. The mechanical parts came from Krauss-Maffei, Henschel and the Floridsdorf locomotive works, with electrical equipment from Siemens-Schuckert. The class worked the newly electrified routes of southern and central Germany and proved its worth on demanding gradients such as the Geislinger Steige.

After the Second World War some examples went to the Soviet Union as reparations and were regauged to broad gauge; 47 machines returned to East Germany in 1952 and 1953. In 1970 the Deutsche Reichsbahn reclassified them as class 244, while the West German railways ran the former E 44 as class 144. The red bogies, painted that way from the 1960s onwards, were meant to make cracks and damage easier to detect visually. Over time the locomotives moved to freight and shunting duties, and the last examples remained in service until around 1991.

Prototype specifications (E 44 / class 244):

• Builders: Krauss-Maffei, Henschel and the Floridsdorf locomotive works (mechanical part), Siemens-Schuckert (electrical part)
• Years built: 1932-1945, 1950-1951 and 1955
• Quantity: 187 locomotives
• Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
• Length over buffers: 15,290 mm
• Service weight: 78.0 t
• One hour rating: 2,200 kW
• Continuous rating: 1,860 kW
• Motors: four nose-suspended traction motors
• Maximum speed: 90 km/h
• Purpose: mixed traffic locomotive for passenger and freight work
• End of service: 1983 with the West German railways, around 1991 with the Deutsche Reichsbahn

About the manufacturer - PIKO:

The PIKO brand has existed since 1949 and is at home in Sonneberg in Thuringia. After more than seventy years it is one of the most recognisable model railway manufacturers in Europe, with a range covering H0, TT, N and G scales and a complete digital system. The PIKO Expert series combines finely detailed bodies with modern electronics and a refined drive, and sound versions come with factory-installed decoders and speakers. The manufacturer offers a deep catalogue of German prototypes, including Deutsche Reichsbahn vehicles, and is a leading producer of Polish models for PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo.