Product Features and Details
Prototype: The class V200 was THE locomotive face of the German Railways (Deutsche Bundesbahn - DB) during the 1950-ties. No other diesel locomotive coined the image of the young DB as much as the long locomotive with the characteristic aluminium strips along the sides that merged to a stylised “V” at the front and rear. In their early days these locomotives were often hauling high class (light) fast trains whose consist was made up of blue or green express train coaches.
As early as shortly after World War II the DB, founded in 1949, intended to change its tractive power also for medium weight passenger service and freight trains. A four axle diesel hydraulic locomotive with a maximum speed of 140 km/h was also on the drawing boards of the DB. The type designation V200 simply indicated the required power of the diesel engines, namely 2000 HP. Since diesel engines with that power rating were not yet available at the time, the DB decided jointly with Krauss-Maffei, the responsible locomotive manufacturer, to build a locomotive with two power plants. Various auxiliary units were also found in the five units of the class V80 locomotives manufactured as from 1952 as well as in the rail cars VT08 and VT12.5. The latter also had the same primary power plant as the V200, because the 800 HP engines of the V80 were considered insufficient for the intended range of use. While the engines of the pre-series production of the V200 built commencing in 1953 were set to 1000 HP, the series production V200 locomotives were equipped with 12-cylinder engines generating 1100 HP at 1500 revs/min. These power plants were supplied by Daimler-Benz (MB 820 Bb), MAN (12 V 18/21) or Maybach (MD 650). The latter were the most commonly used power plants for the V200. Since the DB had no practical experience with such large diesel locomotives for mainline service, the five pre-production models were subjected to an extensive test program including hauling regular trains. Thus these locomotives were running up to 722 km per day. V200 005 was sent on a one-month presentation run to Turkey, Greece and Yugoslavia amongst others travelling about 10,000 km in one month.
In September 1956 the delivery of the serial production models started with V200 006. Their appearance differed due to a modified roof ventilator system, smaller engine compartment windows, the installation of the third headlight above the cab windows and the covered openings above the lower headlights. A Hagenuk steam boiler located at the centre of the locomotive served as power source for train heating capable of heating an express train with twelve coaches. One peculiarity was the multiple-unit control system version 1949 of all V200.0 facilitating double headers and push-pull service. Only two of the potential manufacturers, namely Krauss-Maffei (V200 001 – 005, V200 026 – 086) and MaK (V200 006 through 025) built and delivered the 86 units to the DB. The MaK locomotives could easily be recognised by the somewhat shallower “V” at the front and rear compared to the Krauss-Maffei locomotives. Initially the series production V200 locomotives were stationed at the depots (BW) in Frankfurt-Griesheim (15 units, Hamburg-Altona (19), Hamm P (32) and Villingen/Black Forest (20). In their early days the V200 were well appreciated for their high degree of availability and reliability. However, since the DB tended to display the new level of quality achieved with the V200 compared to the class 01.10 steam locomotives by realising shorter travelling times, the number of break downs due to regular overload became more frequent. Furthermore the DB had decided to increase the permitted maximum speed on certain lines from 120 to 140 km/h causing the V200 to continuously run at full load resulting in more frequent damage to the engines and the power transmission. In the mountainous region of the Black Forest the locomotives had to haul heavy trains for which they originally had not been dimensioned. Again the only drawback of this locomotive design became apparent – the locomotives were simply underpowered. Ultimately this led to the development of a more powerful version of the V200 (2700 HP) that were built by Krauss-Maffei and numbered 101 through 150. Delivery commenced in 1962.
After commissioning the latest series, the older V200 were renumbered as class V200.0. Of course a number of modifications were implemented over time. The V200 056 through 086 were equipped with larger front doors ex factory and the very conspicuous lettering “Deutsche Bundesbahn” was replaced with the simple DB logo on the sides. Subsequent modifications encompassed the closing of the water inlet hatches, the removal of the covers of the fuel inlets, the installation of Indusi magnets (inductive train safety device) and the decoupling of the bogies from the chassis. As from the early 1950-ties the Aluminium decorative strips were removed and instead a new decorative line was painted as border between the red and the grey part of the body. Since these decorative strips were applied uniformly in the Krauss-Maffei style, there were only a few locomotives in 1980 that travelled with the distinctive “V” across the country. The prototype of the ESU model class 220 022 manufactured by MaK was still bearing the typical MaK “V”. The 220 022 also was one of the 19 locomotives of this class that were rented to the Danish State Railways (DSB) in order to overcome their shortage of motive power. One can admire the new livery, introduced in 1974, with ocean blue and ivory as the base colours on several V 200 locomotives. The reason why they were occasionally called “Easter eggs” is due to the fact that the designer “invented” the rather boring horizontal ivory strip around the entire body.
Since the DB started decommissioning the class 220 locomotives as early as 1978, these only twenty-year-old locomotives were put up for sale and were offered to other railway companies. A total of 30 locomotives were sold to clients in Italy, France (Algeria) and Spain. In Algeria and Spain they were used for construction and maintenance service while the Italian Ferrovie Emilia-Romagna (FER) also used them in regular service. An exception represented the seven locomotives sold to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in 1986, which have been considerably modernized at the works of the Regentalbahn prior to their handover. The most noticeable modifications were the conversion of the third headlight and the different exhaust system with large sound absorbers. With the exception of the prototype of the ESU model, the 18462, all locomotives, known as the Am 4/4 in Switzerland, returned to Germany after their service period of ten years at most. In 1999 the Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser GmbH (EVB) purchased Am 4/4 18466 (ex 220 053) and put it into freight service in Northern Germany. In 2006 the EVB sold this locomotive to the Brohltal-Eisenbahn (BE) where it was renumbered to D9 and where it is still hauling freight trains. Since 2007 the locomotive bears a very distinctive green livery with identical boundaries between the areas of different colours exactly as was the case with the classic DB paint scheme.
Model: It is indisputable that with the V200.0 a classic DB diesel locomotive has arrived at the H0 model train layouts. As you have become accustomed with ESU, this model incorporates a number of optical and technical highlights. Let us do a quick walk around the locomotive. You will note that the many round shapes of the original have been perfectly replicated on the model, which is mainly made of metal parts. For the first time the typical shallow “V” of the MaK locomotives has been realized in a model. The correctly dimensioned cab windows you can see an almost fully furnished interior with a driver’s console detailed in several colours.
The era III locomotive displays all typical attributes of the original version and therefore has the elevated decorative strips, Bundesbahn lettering, water inlet hatches and covered inlets for fuel and heating oil.
The era IV locomotive 220 022 is not simply a livery variant but has the prototypical modifications such as the open fuel inlets or the connections for the limit indicator for refuelling. The SBB and Brohltal locomotives also incorporate the prototypical modifications.
The partially free view through the engine compartment of the H0 model is common to all model versions allowing a glance at the fittings, valves and accessories. Of course, separately switched engine compartment lighting is standard in an ESU model. If you turn the model upside down you will notice a high degree of detailing not even achieved in larger scale models.
Besides the visual quality the V200 also offers a comprehensive package of technical features: This locomotive is equipped with two separately switched load dependent smoke generators, sensors for sounds generated in curves, a LokSound V4.0 M4 decoder with two speakers and a Power Pack (energy storage) assuring trouble-free running even on dirty track or extensive yard ladders. Thanks to RailCom Plus® and the M4 protocol the locomotive automatically registers with the command station (e.g.: ESU ECoS or Märklin® Central Station). Comprehensive lighting including cab interior lights, driver’s control panel lighting, engine compartment lighting and shunting mode for the headlights realized with warm white LEDs round off the technical equipment.
Chassis and housing of the model are made of metal and assure prototypical hauling power due to its weight of about 500 g. A powerful ESU five-pole precision motor developed by ESU, with a skew wound coil and a noise optimised commutator rests in the metal chassis. Power is tamed by two flywheels and transferred to three axles via a combined worm gear and helical gear box.
The universal electronics with clip-on centre pick-up and universal wheel sets, already proven on other ESU models, are also installed on the V200. The LokSound decoder delivers original sounds of a Maybach MD 650 diesel engine respectively the appropriate Caterpillar sound on the Brohltal locomotive. In order to provide you with an exceptional acoustic experience we have perforated the fan grills on the slanted roof parts.
Model Details:
- Metal housing and chassis
- Separately applied brass and plastic detail parts
- Brass shunter’s steps
- Separate handle bars
- Perforated fan grills
- Sprung buffers
- Close coupler kinematics and shaft as per NEM 362
- High performance miniature five-pole skew wound motor with noise optimised commutator and two flywheels
- 3 axles powered by combined worm gear and helical gear box
- Two traction tires
- Universal electronics
- Headlights, cab lighting, illuminated driver’s cab-control panel, engine compartment lighting with maintenance-free warm white LEDs
- Controlled with an ESU LokSound V4.0 M4 decoder with two large speakers
- Curve sensors
- “PowerPack” storage capacitor for uninterrupted power supply
- Two load dependent, fan driven smoke generators with temperature control
- Length over buffers: 209.7 mm
- Minimum radius 360 mm
Digital functions:
- Digitalised original sounds of a V200
- Signal horn, load dependent smoke generator
- Directional lighting
- Head an tai lights can be turned off when the locomotive is coupled to a train
- Shunting mode for the headlights
- Cab interior lights, driver’s control panel lighting, engine compartment lighting and switched smoke generators, sensors for curves
Analogue functions:
- Digitalised original sounds of a V200
- Directional lighting
