Expert DR BR244 Electric Locomotive IV

Expert DR BR244 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 DR company markings
• This model is best suited to 358mm radius curves

Details

The DRG Class E 44 was one of the earliest successful electric freight and passenger locomotives for the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft, introduced from 1927 onwards to work on newly electrified main lines. Designed as a Bo'Bo' locomotive, the E 44 combined robust electric traction with versatility, handling both freight trains and heavier passenger services over gradients where steam traction struggled.

Built in several batches through the 1930s, the class featured pioneering electrical technology for its era, with efficient traction motors and a wheel arrangement that offered good adhesion and reliability. Its moderate top speed and substantial tractive effort made it well suited to mixed-traffic duties, especially on challenging routes in southern and central Germany.

After the Second World War, surviving E 44 locomotives entered service with both Deutsche Bundesbahn (West Germany) and Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany). In the West they were reclassified as Class 144 under the 1968 DB numbering scheme; in the East they continued as E 44 for many years. The class steadily worked through the post-war decades, eventually being superseded by more modern electrics and withdrawn by the 1980s.