Piko 51618 H0 - ET21 Electric Locomotive, PKP, Era III

ET21 freight electric locomotive model in Polish State Railways livery

A model of the ET21, the locomotive with which the era of electric traction truly began in Poland. The version reproduced by PIKO represents an era III setting — the years when the six-axle machine from Pafawag hauled both heavy freight and stopping and semi-fast passenger trains on a network that was only just being electrified. The model belongs to the PIKO Expert range and was produced in H0 scale.

The model features separately fitted piping and roof equipment together with individually applied handrails. Photo-etched tread plates and windscreen wipers on the locomotive fronts complete the distinctive outline. The faithfully placed side windows reveal the modelled engine room, which can be lit digitally; cab and driver’s desk lighting are also digitally switchable.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 51618
• Manufacturer: PIKO (Expert range)
• Model length: 193 mm
• Era: III
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder socket: NEM 658 – PluX22
• Decoder: not included; the model is prepared for retrofitting the PIKO sound decoder no. 56589 (available separately)
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: lights changing with the direction of travel: white and red
• Digitally switchable engine room lighting (with a PluX22 decoder fitted)
• Digitally switchable cab lighting
• Illuminated driver’s desk
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

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

The model is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. As supplied, without a decoder, the locomotive runs on a conventional analogue DC layout — a power supply with variable voltage is all that is needed. Once a decoder is fitted in the prepared socket, the model works in the digital DCC system and requires a command station, for example the PIKO SmartControl or another DCC-compatible controller. The decoder and speaker are not included and are available separately.

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 51618 is supplied without a decoder and in this form works in analogue operation; the prepared socket allows a switch to digital control at any time.

About the ET21:

The ET21 is the locomotive with which the era of electric traction truly began in Poland. It was developed at the Pafawag works in Wrocław together with the Central Design Office of the Rolling Stock Industry — the mechanical part was Polish, while the electrical solutions drew on the Soviet VL22M; the equipment came from Dolmel, Elta, Elester and Apena. Production started in 1957 and continued until 1971.

A total of 658 locomotives were built for PKP. The early type 3E machines weighed 120 t; the modernised 3E-1 version brought this down to 114 t with improved bogies, cooling and brakes. The six-axle Co'Co' layout and an hourly rating of 2,400 kW allowed freight trains of up to 2,500 t, and train heating equipment meant that in era III the ET21 was just as often seen at the head of stopping and semi-fast passenger trains. They debuted on the electrified Warsaw – Katowice – Gliwice main line and then spread to seven divisions, concentrated in Lesser Poland and Lower Silesia — on mountain routes six powered axles gave them an edge over four-axle machines.

With the arrival of the Czechoslovak EU05 and EU07 the ET21 was gradually pushed towards freight work. Withdrawal from PKP took decades — the last machine in state operator colours, ET21-548, left the roster in December 2016 after almost sixty years of class service. Around 45 units continued with private operators, and industrial variants still work in Upper Silesia. Five examples are preserved, among them ET21-57 at Chabówka and ET21-66 at the Warsaw Railway Museum.

Prototype specifications (ET21, type 3E / 3E-1):

• Manufacturer: Pafawag, Wrocław
• Built: 1957–1971
• Output: 658 units for PKP
• Wheel arrangement: Co'Co'
• Length: 16,820 mm
• Weight: 120 t (3E) / 114 t (3E-1)
• Hourly rating: 2,400 kW; continuous rating: 1,860 kW
• Supply voltage: 3 kV DC
• Top speed: 100 km/h
• Role: freight trains up to 2,500 t; in era III also passenger and semi-fast trains
• End of PKP service: December 2016

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.