Piko 103

[DRG11]

Hi All,

Does anyone know if this electric loco has been released yet please ?

If it has is it any good ???

Many thanks

 

[idlemarvel]

It's not due out until 4Q 2018. Details here:
http://spur-g-news.de/piko2018_Neuheiten_2018_BR103.htm
PIKO stuff is usually pretty good but I guess you'll have to wait for early reviews.

 

[ntpntpntp]

It does look very smart, I could be tempted back to G! I run a few 103s in N.

 

[KentKeith]

It does look very smart, I could be tempted back to G! I run a few 103s in N.

Do it, you know you want to!!

 

[tac foley]

It's not due out until 4Q 2018. Details here:
http://spur-g-news.de/piko2018_Neuheiten_2018_BR103.htm
PIKO stuff is usually pretty good but I guess you'll have to wait for early reviews.

That is one very fine-looking locomotive there. At the front of a nice ten-car train it would be a real show-stopper, and doesn't need a boiler or gas-tank certificate to run in public, either.

Yet.

tac

 

[ntpntpntp]

...doesn't need a boiler or gas-tank certificate to run in public, either.

Yebbut needs overhead knitting! I'm not a fan of seeing electrics running without a panto up and riding the wire!

 

[dunnyrail]

103's are a real iconic design. I well remember travelling to and from Hamburg a few times with them in front if ICE's. Always on time and connections at varying locations with two of them arriving at pretty well the same time. I have a UK based bashing friend who managed a ride behind everybone of them, no small feat when you think about it. But a bit sad I know!

 

[rhaetianfan]

Yebbut needs overhead knitting! I'm not a fan of seeing electrics running without a panto up and riding the wire!

Fully agree there, but have you gone down the N gauge knitting route? I have, on my N gauge winter project layout - it is great when properly set up but a pain cleaning the track. Swiss locos have very narrow pantograph heads so the tolerance is not great and on sharp curves dewirement happens easily. On the real thing the wires come down, on the model it tends to be the pantograph that suffers. Expensive too!

For G I imagine the wires, electrics always run with pans up. I don't think catenary would last long against the mower and the local cat population, given my ground level line.

Mark

 

[ntpntpntp]

Fully agree there, but have you gone down the N gauge knitting route?

Oh yes, absolutely.

I have, on my N gauge winter project layout - it is great when properly set up but a pain cleaning the track. Swiss locos have very narrow pantograph heads so the tolerance is not great and on sharp curves dewirement happens easily.
Mark

My knitting has been installed since 1995, it's the old Vollmer or Minitrix stuff so it's somewhat overscale but reasonably robust to withstand 70+ exhibitions. I agree that track cleaning isn't so easy but a track rubber with a recess gouged in the top and pushed along with a stick or paintbrush handle works well enough.
I've noticed the pantos on some of my more recent purchases have been finer and narrower than the older models. I've changed out a couple of heads or complete pantos to ensure reliable running without fouling or dropping off the wire.

 

[rhaetianfan]

Oh yes, absolutely.
View attachment 237062

View attachment 237063

My knitting has been installed since 1995, it's the old Vollmer or Minitrix stuff so it's somewhat overscale but reasonably robust to withstand 70+ exhibitions. I agree that track cleaning isn't so easy but a track rubber with a recess gouged in the top and pushed along with a stick or paintbrush handle works well enough.
I've noticed the pantos on some of my more recent purchases have been finer and narrower than the older models. I've changed out a couple of heads or complete pantos to ensure reliable running without fouling or dropping off the wire.

Excellent! I first put OHLE up on an N gauge layout in the early 70s, with Vollmer catenary and Minitrix locos. The overscale pans would resist anything and the stamped wire sections provided a smooth surface to run along.

Fast forward a good few years and I decided to build an N gauge Swiss layout, using Fleischmann locos, Fleischmann track and Somerfeldt catenary. The latter looks good but if the contact wire isn't exactly vertical there can be snagging points caused by the vertical droppers. A bit of work with a Dremel should sort it when I get round to it, but more than one SBB 460 has suffered pantograph damage. Their pans are particularly fine.

Back to the original topic though - I agree that the DB 103 looks to be an essential acquisition. Even with an RhB theme I have a DB V200, another 'must have'. Only problem will be coaches to run it with... I do remember an Inter-rail trip in 1972 finding a Saturday night local train (Hamburg to Hannover, I think) with three 'silver fish' coaches hauled by a 103. Boy, did that shift!!

Mark

 

[dunnyrail]

Fully agree there, but have you gone down the N gauge knitting route? I have, on my N gauge winter project layout - it is great when properly set up but a pain cleaning the track. Swiss locos have very narrow pantograph heads so the tolerance is not great and on sharp curves dewirement happens easily. On the real thing the wires come down, on the model it tends to be the pantograph that suffers. Expensive too!

For G I imagine the wires, electrics always run with pans up. I don't think catenary would last long against the mower and the local cat population, given my ground level line.

Mark

We put overhead up on the Ruschbahn but that line was all over 3ft from the ground so no issues with Lawn Mowers, though the odd Duck taking off from the Swiss See did occasionally cause some issues.

 

[DRG11]

Many thanks for all the replies, yes the Piko locos ets are good so we will have toi wait n see then, cheers.

 

[tac foley]

I can't prevent myself from noting the incredible value that Piko products represent by comparison with certain other manufacturers of LS trains.... Even adding a good sound system and DCC of some kind doesn't bring them near the price of the others.

If I modelled standard gauge modern image German stuff in electric propulsion rather than steam, my house would be fill of it.

tac
OVGRS

 

[dunnyrail]

I can't prevent myself from noting the incredible value that Piko products represent by comparison with certain other manufacturers of LS trains.... Even adding a good sound system and DCC of some kind doesn't bring them near the price of the others.

If I modelled standard gauge modern image German stuff in electric propulsion rather than steam, my house would be fill of it.

tac
OVGRS

I have to concur with Tac the value, look and running is great.

But a health warning about earlier Piko Locomotives. I bought an early 218 and Kamel. Both got converted with Massoth Sound Chips and were fine for a while. Then the older non plated wheels started to give pick-up running issues. Some said a Power Buffer was the answer, others had few problems. But I did. As the Kamel was an important loco for my Harz based line as and when newer plated wheeled bogies were available I managed to source a new set for the Loco and now it is a fine good running machine.

From what I see now all,of the Piko Locomotives now appear to be supplied with plated wheels that match the quality of LGB so as Tac says good value products. Plus many if them can be converted to Narrow Gauge look alike with convertable Buffers to give a nice Narrow Gauge looing Central Coupler.