Piko 40449 NS 2278 STAR Diesel Locomotive VI N Gauge

NS 2278 STAR Diesel Locomotive VI 1:160 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 VI Model Railways This model mainly operates in Netherlands This model is decorated in NS company markings This model is best suited to 192mm radius curves Details The NS Class 2200 was a series of diesel-electric locomotives used by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) on non-electrified lines from the mid-1950s until the early 2000s. A total of 150 locomotives numbered 2201–2350 were built between 1955 and 1958 to help replace steam traction and modernise NS’s diesel fleet. These Bo'Bo' locomotives were based on an American design and assembled in the Netherlands by Heemaf with mechanical parts from partners including Allan and later Creusot-Loire, and diesel engines from Stork. The first units entered service at Eindhoven depot in early 1955, initially handling heavy coal trains on unelectrified routes in the south of the Netherlands. Soon they were also used on goods and passenger services, demonstrating versatility by working mixed traffic, including trains between Alkmaar and Hoorn. In the late 1950s and 1960s the class handled ore and stone trains, sometimes in multiple-unit formations of three or more locomotives to move very heavy loads. In 1968, the fleet was repainted from brown into the new yellow-grey NS livery. From the 1970s into the 1990s the class gradually lost key duties to modern traction and most units were withdrawn, with the last NS examples retired in 2003. Several locomotives found second careers with Belgian railways (NMBS) or industrial operators, and a number have been preserved by heritage groups.