• New chassis and body design

• Metal body and chassis

• Open-worked fan grills on the roof, etched catwalk grating

• Multi-part bogie sides with real steel springs

• Separately applied grab bars and step treads

• NEM shaft with short coupling mechanism

• Five-pole ESU motor with two flywheels

• Drive mechanism via Cardan shaft and worm gear to three axles, two traction tires

• LokSound 5 decoder supporting DCC-, Motorola®-, M4- and Selectrix mode

• Automatic registration at command stations supporting RailComPlus®- or mfx functionality

• PowerPack storage capacitor for uninterrupted power supply

• Speaker with large sound chamber for extremely high sound enjoyment

• Universal electronics with plug-in pick-up shoe and slide switch for changing between two-rail and three-rail mode

• Smoke generator is synchronised with LokSound

• Digitalised original sounds of a class 216

• Sensor controlled wheel squeal in curves at low speed

• Directional lighting, headlights can be turned off (when coupled to a consist), shunting mode lighting, driver´s cab lighting and control panel lighting

• Braking sparks when slowing down rapidly

• Pipette for filling the smoke generator as well as a second coupler are provided

• Minimum radius = 360 mm

• Length over buffers = 184 mm

The DB model series of diesel locomotives in the 1950-ies showed a gap between the V100 with 1100 hp and the V200 equipped with 2 engines. That gap was closed by the V160 with a single engine as from 1960. The top priority was to develop a lightweight design meeting the 18.5 t axle load requirement. Due to their bulbous front end, the nine locomotives of the pre-production series were affectionally called “Lollo” as an allusion to the Italian movie actress Gina Lollobrigida. These locomotives were handed over to the DB in August 1960. The final prototype, the tenth locomotive, was built with a more angular front that could be manufactured at a lower cost. However, since the welded steel chassis was not modified, this design resulted in a somewhat less attractive appearance.

The production of the V160 commenced in 1964. The locomotives were built with a welded steel chassis and coin the appearance of DB mainline diesel locomotives. The Daimler-Benz engine type MB 839 Bb was selected as the power plant (later also the MTU MB 16 V 652 TB 10). The 1900 hp sixteen-cylinder engine was equipped with turbocharger and charge air cooling and reached a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Since the DB considered installing controls for multiple working or push-pull operation in the V160 unnecessary, such equipment was only installed in V160 026-035, 083-104, 130-169 and 185-199.

Therefor you may well assign your ESU models to push-pull operation. The V160s turned out to be very dependable right from the start. They were hauling many different types of trains, namely freight, local passenger as well as express trains. Frequently these 4-axle locomotives were assigned to haul local passenger trains that were meant to be hauled by the faster V200s. In freight service they had to prove themselves as replacements of class 44 steam locomotives. In 1977 the remaining steamers with five drive wheels were taken out of service while new class 218 locomotives were delivered, the inventory of class 216s was increased in the Ruhr area, where they were more frequently deployed in freight service.