SUMMARY:
The ST43 is the name for a Romanian diesel locomotive, produced by Electroputere, exported to and operating in Poland. It was made for the purpose of heavy transport.
In the early 1960s a need appeared in Poland for urgent introduction of locos able to haul heavy freight. This was caused mainly by the intensification of transport on south-north line, especially from the Silesian coal mines to Szczecin and Świnoujście harbours. Lack of experience in building due to Poland being robbed and destroyed in WWII, for that purpose was the reason why the first ones had to be bought from Romania.
In March 1965 first 30 items of 060DA locomotives (factory number of ST43) were introduced into Poznań and Szczecin, according to agreement with Romanian producer. Good results of tests allowed next deliveries to be brought to Poland. Until 1978 a total number of 422 locomotives were operating in Poland.
In the 1990s, the ST43 appeared to be no longer necessary as most of the tracks serviced by it were electrified. Most of the units were withdrawn, the rest were sent for use on passenger and light transport trains.
ST43 information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PKP_class_ST43http://www.locomotives.com.pl/Diesels/ST43.htmhttp://mtb-model.com/pag...p;lang=en&meritko=H0This review is for the MTB ST 43-333 PKP diesel locomotive in HO scale. The model has a motor with flywheel, digital control of lights including cabin lights. The model is decorated in the two-tone green paint scheme which dates it from the late 1990’s through 2008.
UP CLOSE:
The model is well packed – the box holds a nice plastic packing tray and lid along with some foam padding. My first impression of the loco – HEAVY! It weighs 550g per my scale where my SP45 only weighs about 475g. There is a small bag with add on detail parts to be applied to the loco.
Starting at one end, there are handrails applied horizontally and vertically around the windows along with holes for windshield wipers, a horn, and various hoses/coupling gear. The buffers are non-functional. Molded in details including louvers, steps, hatches, and the like. The handrails around the doors are also separate items. Window glazing looks clear and fits cleanly in the openings. Detail on the roof is also well executed with separately applied walkways and a fan with a see-through grate. The bogies are shiny black plastic (we’ll fix that!) but have nice detailing and depth.
Paint is overall good, although not as super smooth as the current offerings from Piko, Roco, or others. You really have to look close to see the differences. In other words, the paint looks great at normal viewing distances, other than being a bit shiny.
Body shell removal is easy spread the shell and it comes off crisply. The PluX22 decoder socket and lighting control DIP switches are right on top. The shell snaps back on securely.
DIGITAL:
The model has a PluX22 decoder interface and is ready for speaker installation. My decoder (ESU LokPilot 4.0) and speaker are on order – I will update the review once installed.
CLOSING:
This is a great offering from MTB. After looking at a bunch of photos on the internet, I have decided to use the ST43 as a base for a weathering project – see the Painting and Weathering forum topic in the near future. For the price, this is an extremely attractive addition to my PKP locomotive roster.
3-RAIL CONVERSION:
Sadly, 3 rail operations is not going to be simple for this model. As shown in the photos, there is just too little clearance under both bogies to allow installation of a slider with proper clearance on Marklin 3 rail track. I think a successful installation would require significant alteration to the chosen bogie.
I think my Dad would love this on his Marklin layout, so I’m not giving up easily on this loco. One idea I’m considering is to use current conducting coupler/drawbar to pass 3rd rail power from a boxcar fitted with a pickup shoe. I’ll post more info if I decide to go this route.
