Roco 6200081 H0 - Set of 2 ÖBB passenger coaches, Era III

Model of a set of two Spantenwagen hauled coaches in the livery of the Austrian Federal Railways

A set of two two-axle ÖBB hauled coaches of the Spantenwagen type – one of the most recognisable designs of Austrian post-war passenger stock. The set comprises a passenger coach with full-height windows of class BT and a half-luggage passenger coach with full-height windows of class BDT. The models reproduce the Era III condition and match the class 5042.10 diesel railcar, with which these coaches formed local-service units.

The coaches stand out for their finely reproduced end-platform railings and separately fitted handrails, and the luggage coach has movable sliding doors. Both models come with a factory-fitted interior, and the set includes printed „no smoking” signs supplied as a photo-etched part for optional mounting.

Model specifications:

• Scale: H0 (1:87)
• Catalogue number: 6200081
• Manufacturer: Roco
• Set composition: class BT passenger coach + class BDT half-luggage coach
• Set length: 298 mm
• Era: III
• Operator: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB)
• Power system: direct current DC (two-rail)
• Coupler: NEM 362 standard with close-coupling kinematics
• Fitted interior: yes
• Interior lighting: retrofittable (kit cat. no. 40361)
• Enclosed „no smoking” signs as a photo-etched part for optional mounting
• Model painted and ready to run
• Recommended age: 14 years and over

Note: this model consists of hauled coaches – a locomotive or railcar and a powered track are needed to run it.

The set is not a starter set and does not include track or a controller. The coaches are hauled (or pushed) by a locomotive or railcar – the natural partner being the class 5042.10 diesel railcar. The model is produced in the DC version; for operation on a three-rail AC (Märklin) system the manufacturer offers replacement AC wheelsets cat. no. 40183. The interior lighting can be retrofitted using lighting kit cat. no. 40361.

Model railways – digital or analogue control?

A digital DCC system lets you control several locomotives independently on the same track at a constant rail voltage, whereas in an analogue system all vehicles on a given circuit respond simultaneously to changes in the supply voltage. The model described here is a hauled vehicle – it has no drive or decoder of its own, so it runs equally well on digitally (DCC) controlled and analogue layouts, since the control method applies only to the locomotive. The model is produced in the DC (two-rail) version.

About the ÖBB Spantenwagen coaches:

The Spantenwagen were post-war passenger coaches of the Austrian Federal Railways, created by rebuilding older coaches with wooden bodies. Faced with a shortage of rolling stock after 1945, ÖBB workshops (among them the main workshop at Knittelfeld) developed a new, fully welded steel body built on a framework of uniform rolled sections – the so-called ribs (German: Spanten). Two ribs were joined into a single, interchangeable window element, which simplified production; the finished framework was then mounted on the retained, standardised underframes of the older coaches.

The new design proved successful and economical, so the rebuilding programme covered a large part of the Austrian passenger fleet and continued into the 1960s. In silhouette the coaches resembled the German two-axle „Donnerbüchsen”. Some coaches were rebuilt as railcar trailers – between 1957 and 1963, 86 trailers of class BT 7139 were created from former passenger coaches, fitted among other things with parking heaters. The Spantenwagen long defined the look of the Austrian railways, and individual examples can still be found in heritage trains today.

Original technical data (ÖBB Spantenwagen):

• Type: two-axle passenger coaches produced by rebuilding
• Construction: welded steel body on a rib framework (Spanten), on an older, standardised underframe
• Rebuilder: ÖBB workshops (incl. the main workshop at Knittelfeld)
• Rebuilding period: from the late 1940s to the 1960s
• Class BT 7139 trailers: 86 examples rebuilt between 1957 and 1963
• Purpose: local service, trailers for railcars (incl. class 5042)
• Operator: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB)

About the manufacturer – Roco:

Roco is an Austrian model railway manufacturer that has been operating since 1960, founded in Salzburg and today based in Bergheim near Salzburg as part of the Modelleisenbahn GmbH group (alongside the Fleischmann brand). It released its first locomotives in 1976 and earned its reputation early on through precision and fidelity to the prototype. The brand introduced a number of innovations to the industry, among them unshortened, true-to-length coaches, track with a lower rail profile, and snag-free close couplers. Roco's contemporary H0 models stand out for their rich detail, while the digital range is rounded out by the Z21 control system. Roco models are valued by modellers and collectors throughout Europe.