Road Number 221 126 – The Big Class V 200

Few locomotives symbolize the golden age of the German Federal Railroad as powerfully as the legendary Class V 200. The largest variant of this iconic diesel delivered an impressive 2,663 hp to the rails. Between 1962 and 1965, Krauss-Maffei built sixty of these diesel powerhouses as the Class V 200.1.

These brawny locomotives quickly achieved near-mythical status—whether on the Black Forest Railway or the Allgäu Line, on the Vogelfluglinie (Bird Flight Line) across the Fehmarn Sound Bridge, hauling express trains over the “billiard table” stretch between Hamburg and Osnabrück, or later working heavy coal and steel trains throughout the Ruhr region.

Many of these locomotives remain in service with private railway companies today, some still wearing the classic red and black-gray colors of the German Federal Railroad (DB), complete with the famous “V” on the ends. Redesignated as Class 221 by DB, this locomotive represents one of the most important chapters in German railway history—and is therefore an absolute must for every Märklin model railroader.

Prototype: Class 221 heavy diesel-hydraulic general-purpose locomotive. German Federal Railroad (DB). Crimson basic paint scheme. Road number 221 126-6. The loco looks as it did around 1975.

Highlights

• Heavy metal construction.
• Couplers with a guide mechanism.
• A buffer capacitor to bridge short unpowered sections of track is fitted.
• Engineer’s cab lighting
• Engine room lighting
• All four axles are powered by cardan shafts.
• With World of Operation mfx+ digital decoder and extensive operating and sound functions.

Model: The loco has an mfx+ digital decoder and extensive operating and sound functions. It also has a centrally mounted high-performance motor. 4 axles powered through cardan shafts. Traction tires. Triple headlights and dual red marker lights change end with the direction of travel, work conventionally, and are digitally controllable. The headlights at no. 1 and no. 2 ends can be turned off separately in digital operation. There is a double “A” light function.

The cab lighting and engine room lighting are digitally controllable. Maintenance-free warm white and red LEDs are used for the lighting. A buffer capacitor is fitted. Couplers with a guide mechanism. Separately applied metal grab irons on the side and front. There is a locomotive engineer in cab 1.

Length over buffers approximately 21 cm / 8-1/4.