DB BR116 Electric Locomotive IV

DB BR116 Electric Locomotive IV

1:160 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 192mm radius curves

Details

The DRG Class E 16 was a pioneering German electric locomotive introduced in the mid-1920s to haul fast and express passenger trains on electrified routes in Bavaria. Originally ordered by the Bavarian Group Administration of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft as Class ES 1, the first ten locomotives (E 16 01–10) were delivered in 1926, followed by a second batch in 1927 and a third in 1932–33, bringing total production to 21 locomotives.

Built jointly by Lokomotivfabrik Krauss & Comp. / Krauss-Maffei with electrical equipment from Brown, Boveri & Cie, the E 16 featured an unusual 1'Do1' wheel arrangement and Buchli drive, where traction motors drive the wheels on one side only, giving the locomotive an asymmetric appearance unique among German electrics. Its 120 km/h top speed and robust motors made it well suited to express work on early mainline electrification.

After the Second World War, some units remained in service, and in 1968 the surviving locomotives were reclassified as DB Class 116 under the new Deutsche Bundesbahn numbering scheme. Withdrawals took place gradually between 1973 and 1980, with 116 009 retiring on 31 January 1980, ending over five decades of service.

Several examples have been preserved in museums and heritage collections, making the E 16 a compelling prototype for Era II–III German electrified express layouts.