Piko 52149 H0 - BR 798 Motor Car with Control Car, Ulmer Spatz, DB AG, Era V

Class 798 railbus model with driving trailer in Deutsche Bahn livery

A model of the legendary VT 98 railbus with driving trailer — the vehicle that for decades was synonymous with the German branch line. The version reproduced by PIKO carries the mint-turquoise regional livery of Deutsche Bahn in era V, known among enthusiasts as the Ulmer Spatz. The model was produced in H0 scale.

The power car is driven by a strong micro-motor with flywheels, and a factory-fitted buffer capacitor ensures even running and uninterrupted power pick-up. The two vehicles are joined by a current-conducting close coupling mechanism. Despite fully fitted interiors, an unobstructed view through the passenger compartments is retained. The model also has factory-fitted switchable interior lighting and an illuminated side destination board. The PluX22 socket to NEM 658 is prepared for retrofitting a sound decoder with the largest possible speaker.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 52149
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 321 mm (length of the complete set)
• Era: V
• Power supply: DC
• Decoder socket: NEM 658 – PluX22
• Decoder: not included; the model is prepared for retrofitting the PIKO sound decoder no. 56570 (available separately)
• Drive: micro-motor with flywheels and a factory-fitted buffer capacitor
• Coupling: current-conducting close coupling between the vehicles
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Lighting: lights changing with the direction of travel: white and red
• Factory-fitted switchable interior lighting
• Illuminated side destination board
• Two-car set: power car and driving trailer
• 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 52149 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 VT 98 railbus (Class 798):

The Uerdingen railbus was an answer to the collapsing economics of West German branch lines in the 1950s. The VT 98.9 was a development of the single-engined VT 95.9: it received two underfloor Büssing U 10 engines of 110 kW each and, crucially, screw couplings and buffers, so that it could haul ordinary standard-gauge wagons and run within trains. A typical set comprised a power car with a trailer and a driving trailer, though formations of up to six cars were seen.

The Deutsche Bundesbahn took delivery of 329 VT 98 power cars, around 310 VS 98 driving trailers and around 320 VB 98 trailers. From 1968 they were renumbered into classes 798 and 998. The factory livery was purple red, which earned them the nickname Roter Brummer. In the second half of the 1980s some vehicles were modernised — pneumatic doors and one-person operation — and repainted in the new mint-turquoise regional colours. Such sets worked around Ulm among other places, where the name Ulmer Spatz stuck to them.

Displacement by the more modern classes 627 and 628 continued through the 1970s. By the end of 1993 only 55 power cars and 83 trailers and driving trailers remained with DB. Regular service with Deutsche Bahn ended in 2000, the last stronghold being the Tübingen depot. Dozens of vehicles run today with heritage and private operators.

Prototype specifications (VT 98.9 / Class 798):

• Manufacturer: Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, also MAN and WMD
• Built: 1955–1962
• Output: 329 VT 98 power cars, around 310 VS 98 driving trailers
• Wheel arrangement: A'A' (two axles, each driven by its own engine)
• Length: 13,950 mm
• Service weight: 18.9 t (power car)
• Engines: 2 × Büssing U 10 of 110 kW each, ZF mechanical transmission
• Top speed: 90 km/h
• Seats: 56
• Role: passenger services on branch lines
• End of regular DB service: 2000

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.