DB Br.151 by PIKO w/Sound

[MichaelE]

This is the new for 2020 PIKO Br.151 Deutsche Bahn heavy freight locomotive. I bought this model to replace a consignment Roco that I had problems with several months after purchase.

This locomotive has the PIKO (Uhlenbrock) 4.1 sound decoder and rivals the ESU Loksound 5.0 for clarity and sound samples.

 

It has 28 sound and lighting functions including separate cab control lighting, machine room lighting, and task lighting on the lower skirt that is direction dependent. The front and rear lighting is also direction dependent, but can be controlled individually as well.

 

The LED lighting is much improved over the 2007 Roco model (which now has LED lighting too with their 2018 re-release of this model).

 

This is a very smooth and quiet runner using six axle drive with two traction tires, one on a forward wheel and one on a rear wheel opposite side. Detail is evident everywhere and PIKO spared to expense when recreating this model. Separately applied parts and metal etched grates on the roof for the radiator openings really set off the model. The truck bolsters have many separately applied parts and are deeply molded for wonderful detail. The only thing missing is a driver for the fully detailed cab.

 

These were first equipped for passenger as well as freight service, but after new safety regulations were adopted, they were pulled from passenger service to spend their lives hauling heavy freight trains. This model will pull a passenger train from Era IV as those safety rules have not yet been adopted on my railroad.

 

There were some minor problems re-programming the loco address as the NCE Powercab had problems with the PIKO decoder with the keep alive capacitor installed. This was solved by manually calculating the required CV values for a long address and calculating the 151 address. Other than that it responds to all simple programming of the Powercab.

 

A bit of history first about this locomotive courtesy of Wiki. If not interested in the history, just skip down to the photos of the model.

 

The class 151 is the successor of the standard locomotives of the class 150 built until 1973 . First considerations for the development of the new series were made in 1969, when the German Federal Railroad was urgently dependent on improving its competitive position compared to road freight transport. Due to the economic boom, constantly increasing transport requirements had to be met.

 

In order to achieve these goals, a new operational service program for the freight train service was decided, which includes the transport of express freight trains of 1000 t at 120 km / h, express freight trains of 1200 t at 100 km / h and through freight trains of 2000 t at 80 km / h Intended gradients of up to 5 ‰. Neither the maximum tractive effort nor the maximum speed of the 150 series was sufficient for this. In addition, since it was put into operation, the operations service had criticized the fact that the tractive power of the locomotives fell sharply above 80 km / h and that the traction motor damage often occurred at high loads in this speed range. The construction of a new locomotive for heavy goods traffic was therefore required. The BZA Munich commissioned AEG with the development of the electrical part, with the vehicle part the machine works Krupp .

 

Because the new locomotives were to be available as quickly as possible, they could not be completely redeveloped in order to achieve all the technological advances in terms of running technology and electrical equipment. The first step was therefore to investigate the possibility of bringing the 150 series to 120 km / h by changing the gear ratio and significantly increasing its EKB 760 drive motor in its thermal load capacity by means of class F instead of B winding insulation. However, these considerations were dropped after it became clear that a 150 series upgraded in this way could only have transported express freight trains of 1200 t at 100 km / h.

 

The engineers at AEG and the BZA in Munich caught sight of the WBM 372-22 drive motor of the 110, 139 and 140 series, originally developed by Siemens-Schuckert-Werke. This drive motor was significantly more powerful, with over 4,800 units in the series mentioned in use and had proven itself extremely well. It turned out that a six-axle locomotive equipped with this traction motor would be able to fully meet the new operating program if the traction motor were not insulated with class B materials, as was previously the case.

However, since the 150 series bogies could no longer be used with this traction motor and a new structure was necessary due to the more powerful and heavier new transformer , the engineers were free to design these parts and borrowed from the 103 series, for example with their use a bridge frame and the structure of the engine room with removable hoods. In addition, tried and tested components from the 110/140 series that are already available in large numbers were used as far as possible.

Class 151 double traction in front of an ore train

On November 21, 1972 AEG and Krupp delivered the 151 001 as the first locomotive, followed by eleven other pre-series locomotives that were extensively tested before series delivery began. As with the standard electric locomotives, besides the developer companies AEG and Krupp, the companies BBC and Siemens were involved in the construction of the electrical part and the companies Henschel and Krauss-Maffei in the construction of the vehicle part of the series locomotives. A total of 170 locomotives were procured, which were initially based in Hagen and Nuremberg .

 

The original paintwork of the 151 up to the 151 075 was the chrome oxide green with a black frame, which is common for electric locomotives with a top speed of 120 km / h . The 151 073 and the machines from 151 076 onwards were delivered in the new ocean blue / ivory color scheme introduced at that time . With the exception of the 151 044, in contrast to many other series, the older examples were never repainted in ocean blue / ivory.Rather, chrome oxide green locomotives often remained in stock until the early 1990s and were then given the colors oriental red or even traffic redrepainted. The last example in green was 151 049, a designated museum locomotive of the DB, which was retrofitted with single-arm pantographs and was also painted in traffic red at the beginning of 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Neils WRX]

I remember the 151's working their last passenger services, I think the issue was something to do with passenger door closing system and interlock.

 

Thanks,

 

Neil

[MichaelE]

Thanks for the information Neil. I wasn't able to find out why they were pulled from passenger service.

 

Does your information say what year it was they were taken off of passenger duty?

 

I think they look great pulling an oxide green coach consist.

[Neils WRX]

3 hours ago, MichaelE said:

Thanks for the information Neil. I wasn't able to find out why they were pulled from passenger service.

 

Does your information say what year it was they were taken off of passenger duty?

 

I think they look great pulling an oxide green coach consist.

I’m not sure of the exact year but the last one I had for haulage was in May 2000 into Essen on a booked turn so they lasted at least that long.

DB Cargo liveried locomotives would have certainly worked passenger services. I will have a look through my photos and see if I can find any evidence.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Neil

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Neils WRX