Piko 58475 H0 - Type 401Ka Covered Freight Car, PKP, Era IV

Four-axle type 401Ka covered wagon model in Polish State Railways livery

A model of the four-axle large-capacity type 401Ka covered wagon of the Polish State Railways in era IV. The prototype, built at the ZNTK works in Ostrów Wielkopolski, was for decades the standard vehicle for grain and bulky loads.

The model stands out for precise reproduction of the side panelling and sliding doors, free-standing handrails and finely made bogies. The NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics allows small gaps between wagons, and good running qualities make long formations possible.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 58475
• Manufacturer: PIKO
• Model length: 190 mm
• Era: IV
• Coupling: NEM 362 coupler pocket with close coupling kinematics
• Minimum radius: 358 mm
• 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.

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 58475 is an unpowered wagon without electronics, so it can be marshalled into trains hauled in either analogue or digital operation.

About the type 401Ka covered wagon:

The type 401K was developed in 1964 at the Central Design Office of the Rolling Stock Industry in Poznań, and the 401Ka variant was built between 1966 and 1979 at the ZNTK works in Ostrów Wielkopolski. It is a four-axle large-capacity covered wagon — its body of more than 100 m³ was designed for light, bulky loads for which the payload of an ordinary covered wagon went unused.

The wagon is versatile: it carries general and piece goods, but above all grain and other bulk materials needing protection from the weather. Loading takes place through four roof hatches or through large sliding doors in the side walls, and bulk materials are discharged through chutes fitted in the doors.

In UIC coding these wagons appear as Gags. They were the standard grain stock of PKP and remained in PKP Cargo service into era VI after successive changes of livery and markings — which means the same body type can appear on a layout in both 1970s and present-day settings.

Prototype specifications (type 401Ka covered wagon):

• Manufacturer: ZNTK Ostrów Wielkopolski
• Built: 1966–1979
• Axles: 4 (two bogies)
• Length over buffers: 16,520 mm
• Height: 4,158 mm
• Bogie pivot spacing: 10,500 mm
• Tare weight: 23,000 kg
• Load limit: 57 t
• Capacity: 102.4 m³; load area 39.5 m²
• Top speed: 100 km/h
• Role: transport of grain, general goods and bulky loads

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.