Marklin 88218 - Class 2048 Diesel Locomotive

Prototype: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) class 2048 lightweight general-purpose locomotive. "Traffic Red" paint scheme from Era V. The locomotive looks as it did around 1992.

Highlights:

• Fine detailing.
• Warm white and red headlights and marker lights.
• Extensive paint scheme and imprinting.

Model: The locomotive has a can motor with a bell-shaped armature. All axles on both trucks are powered. Maintenance-free warm white and red LEDs are used for the lighting. The headlights and marker lights change over with the direction of travel.

Length over the buffers 60 mm / 2-3/8".

In 1991, the ÖBB had a distinct lack of diesel locomotives with the introduction of the new "Austro Schedule". The decision was made as a short term, affordable solution to buy used DB class 211 (until 1968: V 100.10) locomotives. The class V 100 diesel locomotives were developed in the Fifties initially as a replacement for the class 64 and 86 steam locomotives and were planned for light service on main lines and mixed use on branch lines. MaK in Kiel in cooperation with the DB's central office in Munich presented late in the fall of 1958 six pre-production locomotives, road numbers V 100 000-005 (later V 100 1007 and 1001-1005) each with a 1,000 horsepower motor as well as road number V 100 006 (later V 100 2001), which had been equipped with a 1,350 horsepower motor. The squared off, boxy shape was characteristic for the V 100 and was clearly borrowed from the V 60 for this look. The motor output was transmitted to the hydraulic Voith transmission by means of an elastic coupling and universal joint shaft. The transmission had stepped gears allowing operation on the line (maximum speed 100 km/h / 63 mph) or in switching operations (maximum speed 65 km/h / 41mph). The trucks with their welded tube construction were a new design, and the wheel set suspension arms were mounted on them by means of silent blocks. The engine layout in the front, longer hood was very accessible from outside by means of a hood-shaped sliding door. After successful testing of the experimental locomotives, a first pre-production series of 36 units (V 100 1008-1043) with 1,100 horsepower twelve-cylinder diesel motors was ordered at the end of 1959. In 1961/62, an order was placed for the regular production locomotive of another 322 units. These units were general-purpose locomotives and were run with light and medium passenger, limited stop passenger, and freight trains on main lines and branch lines. Starting in 1968, the V 100.10 was assigned the computer-generated class designation of 211, but by August of 2001, it disappeared completely from the DB roster. Between 1991 and 1994, the ÖBB acquired 36 DB class 211 units through the locomotive dealer Layritz. Two functioned as sources of spare parts and the rest went into operation as road numbers 2048 001-034. Naturally, the units were given a general overhaul as well as several modifications such as the installation of a new Caterpillar type 3512 motor in a throttled down version, the replacement of the steam heating system including the feed water tank by a second compressor installation as well as installation of Webasto heating and cold-water pre-heating equipment. Originally, a working life of about five years was planned, but these locomotives could not be taken out of service until 2003. All of them were sold again and most found a new home chiefly in Italy and France. Six units remained in Austria by roundabout ways. Five of them supplement the roster of the Salzburg Local Railroad (SLB) as road numbers V 83 - V 87 and road number 2048.024 is in operation on the Styrian Provincial Railroad (StLB).