Expert DB BR184.1 Electric Locomotive IV

Expert DB BR184.1 Electric Locomotive IV

1:87 scale model produced by Piko. This model is ready-to-run straight out of the box and would make a excellent addition to any model railway collection.

Features:

• Analogue DC Model
• Best suited to Epoch IV Model Railways
• This model mainly operates in Germany
• This model is decorated in DB company markings
• This model is best suited to 358mm radius curves

Details

The DB Class 184, originally designated E 410, was a highly advanced experimental electric locomotive developed by Deutsche Bundesbahn in the mid-1960s to explore true cross-border rail operation in Europe. Built by a consortium led by Krauss-Maffei, with electrical equipment from Siemens, AEG and BBC, only four locomotives were produced between 1966 and 1967.

Designed as a four-system locomotive, the Class 184 could operate under 15 kV AC, 25 kV AC, 3 kV DC and 1.5 kV DC, allowing it to work seamlessly across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. With a top speed of 150 km/h, the class was intended for international express passenger services, making it one of the most technically ambitious locomotives of its era.

Despite successful testing, the Class 184 proved complex, heavy and expensive to maintain, and no further examples were built. Changing operational priorities and emerging international standards meant the concept was ahead of its time. All four locomotives were withdrawn during the early 1980s, though their pioneering technology directly influenced later European multi-system designs.