Piko 53288 H0 - 3rd-Class Passenger Car, PKP, Era III

Four-axle third class express coach model in Polish State Railways livery

A model of the four-axle third class express coach with underframe skirts, in Polish State Railways livery of era III. The prototype belongs to the last great family of pre-war express coaches, whose sheet-metal skirts below the underframe were intended to reduce air resistance at speed.

The model has a modelled compartment interior, an NEM 362 coupler pocket and close coupling kinematics that keep the gaps between coaches small. The coach is prepared for retrofitting interior lighting. The distinctive underframe skirts clearly set it apart from ordinary compartment coaches and give a formation a recognisably pre-war pedigree. The model carries a running number different from coach 53287 — the two complement each other in a train formation.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 53288
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 247 mm
• Era: III
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• Modelled compartment interior
• Running number differs from that of coach 53287
• Interior lighting: can be retrofitted (kit no. 56135, available separately)
• Wheelsets for AC operation, available separately: no. 56061
• The model is painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

Please note: this model is not a starter set — a locomotive and powered track are required.

The wagon model does not include track, a locomotive or a controller. To put it into service you need powered track and a locomotive — analogue or digital. The wagon itself has no drive or electronics, so it behaves the same way on analogue DC track as in a digitally controlled DCC layout. The retrofit kits listed in the specifications, such as interior lighting, are sold separately and are not part of this product.

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 53288 is an unpowered wagon without electronics, so it can be marshalled into trains hauled in either analogue or digital operation.

About the skirted express coaches:

The skirted coaches, known as Schürzenwagen, were the last great family of express coaches built in Germany before the Second World War. The name comes from the distinctive removable sheet-metal skirts fitted below the underframe between the bogies, which smoothed the airflow under the coach and reduced drag — the design was prepared for trains running at up to 150 km/h.

The series began with six experimental coaches in 1936, after which 1939–1940 saw the construction of, among others, 310 third class C4ü-38 coaches, more than a hundred composite coaches, and dining, sleeping, saloon and postal vehicles. They were normally fitted with Görlitz III leicht bogies and cleared for 140 km/h; some were re-bogied after the war.

After 1945 the surviving coaches spread across Europe — to the Deutsche Bundesbahn, the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the Austrian Federal Railways and other administrations, and some remained in Poland and joined the PKP fleet. In era III long-distance traffic they worked semi-fast and express trains until the Europe-wide abolition of third class in 1956, after which they were reclassified as second class.

Prototype specifications (skirted express coach):

• Built: 1936–1951
• Axles: 4 (two Görlitz III leicht bogies)
• Length over buffers: approx. 21,300–21,800 mm depending on variant
• Weight: 38.0–40.2 t (compartment coaches)
• Top speed: 140 km/h (design speed up to 150 km/h)
• Third class C4ü-38 output: 310 vehicles
• Role: semi-fast and long-distance trains

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.