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This really nice HO gauge loco by Brawa is 0401 a DR BR 219 diesel locomotive in red livery, it has running number 219 197-1.
The BR 219 series were diesel locomotives built in Romania for the German Reichsbahn . When the numbering plans of the two German state railway administrations were harmonized in 1992, they were given the series designation 219 .
The basic concept of the Deutsche Reichsbahn's Class 119 is a further development of the successful Class 118. From the end of the 1970s, the DR required 250 locomotives with electric train heating, an axle weight of less than 16 tonnes and an output of over 2000 hp.
According to the Comecon resolutions, the GDR economy was no longer to build large diesel locomotives. Locomotive builders in the USSR could only supply heavy machines ( series 130–132 and 142 ) with an axle load of 20 tonnes or more. The only manufacturer willing to adopt the modular principle was the "23 August" locomotive factory in Bucharest. The Romanian manufacturer also declared itself willing to install diesel engines produced in the GDR. The manufacturer did not install these engines because of coordination problems in the GDR's state planning commission. In order to fulfil the order, the Bucharest factory installed licensed engines from the West German manufacturer MTU.
he prototype locomotive 119 001 was completed in the summer of 1976, but the heating generator was still missing. Even the test runs were not satisfactory. In January 1977, the locomotive arrived in Halle for further test runs, and in October 119 002 was accepted as the first locomotive of the series. The locomotives of the pilot series 119 003 to 025 had the same problems as the prototypes.
In total, the Deutsche Reichsbahn purchased 200 locomotives between 1976 and 1985. Further purchases were stopped due to ongoing problems and the locomotives' great unreliability. The operation of the machines was characterized by deficiencies and problems from the very beginning. In the early days, 50 percent of the vehicles were in the workshops for repairs.
Later 20 to 30 percent of the vehicles were usually in repair. The high level of damage to this series quickly meant that the vehicles were referred to as submarines (because of the round engine room windows and because they so often submerged in the workshops) or even derisively as Carpathian Terror and Ceaușescu's Revenge . With a rated output of 1980 kW (2700 hp), they were the most powerful machines in the DR, which could easily be used on branch lines, as their maximum axle load was only 16 t.
A total of seven examples of the 119/219/229 series have been preserved as museums (219 003, 084 and 158 as well as 229 100, 188 and 199). In addition, twelve locomotives were handed over to a DB Cargo subsidiary in Romania and Bulgaria, where they were used in freight transport until 2012. Four locomotives of the 229 series were painted yellow and were used by DB Netz as construction train locomotives. The only remaining locomotive, 229 100, is now in Thuringia as a non-operational museum locomotive.
The 229 147 and 181 were in use until 2013 and were then parked inoperable. In spring 2015, the 229 147 and 181 were offered for sale in an sale (DB sale numbers 106610 and 106611). The 229 147 has been in use by Cargo Logistik Rail Service GmbH (CLR) since 2015. The MEG has also taken over four 229s. While the 229 120 and 173 are still in use (as of spring 2013), the 229 184 and 199 are parked as spare parts donors . The 229 199 has since been restored to its original color scheme as a museum locomotive, but is still available as a spare parts donor for the two active locomotives.
The loco is in good condition as you can see in the pictures, it is tested and runs with working lights, as with all locos of this age a service and a bit more running is strongly recommended to ensure smooth operation. A complete external visual inspection has shown the overall condition is very good. The box is in good if slightly shelf worn condition.
Overall this is a really nice scale locomotive and would look fantastic on a layout.
Do please have a look at my other listings, I typically have various HO and OO locos on offer as well as an extensive range of imported N gauge locos and other items.
Note: I do recommend all locos are cleaned & serviced, as they have some age to them even if the quality looks at the highest level (fairly standard advice for all locos!).
