Piko 58572 H0 - CSD sleeper car, Era IV

Model of a sleeping car in Czechoslovak State Railways livery, Era IV

The night train heading east out of Prague is one of the most evocative railway subjects of the 1970s and 1980s, and the sleeping car was its heart. This PIKO H0 model reproduces a typical sleeping car of the Czechoslovak State Railways in Era IV, in a dark, uniform livery with light lettering — a vehicle with the classic outline of a UIC-Y international coach, with its row of narrow compartment windows and wide entrance doors at both ends of the body.

The model's highlight is its crystal-clear flush-glazed windows, which reveal a detailed interior with sleeping compartments and a side corridor. The body carries clean engraving of doors, ribbing and floor line, while the underframe is reproduced with an open frame and modelled underfloor equipment. The paintwork is even and the printing sharp and legible, with full numbering and operator markings. The car is factory-prepared for the 56270 interior lighting kit, which shows to best effect in a night-time layout scene. NEM 362 coupler pockets with a close coupling mechanism allow realistically small gaps between vehicles, and excellent running characteristics ensure reliable tracking even on tight curves — the minimum radius is 358 mm.

Model specifications:

• scale: H0 (1:87)
• item number: PIKO 58572
• manufacturer: PIKO
• length over buffers: 282 mm
• railway administration: ČSD (Czechoslovak State Railways)
• era: IV
• power supply: DC
• vehicle type: sleeping car, unpowered
• glazing: crystal-clear, flush-mounted
• interior: detailed sleeping compartments
• interior lighting: retrofittable, kit no. 56270
• coupling: NEM 362 pocket with close coupling mechanism
• minimum radius: 358 mm
• AC wheel sets available separately under item 56060
• ready to run, factory painted and printed
• age recommendation: 14 years and over

Please note: this coach has no drive of its own.

It is a trailing vehicle intended for locomotive-hauled trains. The model contains no motor, decoder or controller and is not a starter set — a locomotive and a powered track are required to run it. It is designed for curves with a minimum radius of 358 mm and for DC-powered layouts; the 56270 interior lighting kit and the 56060 AC wheel sets are available separately.

About the Czechoslovak State Railways sleeping car:

ČSD sleeping cars were the backbone of long-distance night travel in Central and Eastern Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Czechoslovakia did not build them itself — the vehicles were ordered from works in East Germany, above all the Görlitz factory, which specialised in sleeping cars for the whole Eastern bloc. These designs followed the UIC-Y standard with a 24.5 m body: a welded steel shell, a side corridor and a row of compartments with folding berths.

The largest and best-known group were the WLAB series cars. The second batch, delivered in 1981, comprised 51 vehicles numbered 135 to 185, with ten passenger compartments offering up to thirty berths; the split between first and second class depended on the needs of the particular service. The cars rode on Görlitz Va bogies for standard gauge, while vehicles working eastwards were additionally provided with bogies for the 1,524 mm broad gauge. Maximum speed was 140 km/h.

Their natural habitat was the long international run: night trains from Prague and Milovice to Moscow and Kyiv and, later, seasonal holiday services to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The cars outlived Czechoslovakia itself and continued in service under Czech Railways well into the 2000s, the last examples being withdrawn around 2011. A few have been preserved as heritage vehicles.

Prototype specifications (ČSD UIC-Y sleeping car, WLAB series):

• builder: Görlitz wagon works, East Germany
• delivery of the second batch: 1981
• second batch quantity: 51 cars (numbers 135–185)
• body type: UIC-Y
• body length: 24.5 m
• number of axles: 4 (two two-axle bogies)
• bogies: Görlitz Va (1,435 mm gauge), Chanin CN II (1,524 mm gauge)
• compartments: 10
• berths: up to 30
• maximum speed: 140 km/h
• purpose: long-distance international night trains

About the manufacturer – PIKO:

PIKO is one of the pillars of European model railroading — a German company founded in 1949 in Sonneberg, with more than seventy years of uninterrupted production. Its range spans H0, TT, N and garden-scale G, from starter sets to highly detailed models. PIKO passenger coaches are valued for their clear glazing, modelled interiors and readiness for interior lighting, while the PIKO Expert series combines refined detail with modern digital technology. The company is also a leading producer of Polish prototype models, including PKP, PKP Intercity and PKP Cargo vehicles.