Key takeaways
- Schöma stands for Christoph Schöttler Maschinenfabrik in Diepholz – a specialist in small, construction and tunnel locomotives since 1930.
- These vehicles carry no class number, only a works type. Identification runs via the builder's plate and vehicle number.
- Type code 98 marks a registered small locomotive and cleanly separates it from diesel main-line locomotives coded 92.
- The current focus is tunnel construction – there the locomotives work under conditions that don't exist on the running network.
- Access is the real obstacle: works, construction and siding railways are private land, so observation is only from outside.
Contents
- 1.Fact file
- 2.Business areas
- 3.Structure & brands
- 4.History at a glance
- 5.How to recognise the company
- 6.Strengths and weaknesses
- 7.Two machine works in one small town
- 8.What separates a tunnel locomotive from a shunter
- 9.Works, transfer and test runs
- 10.When an attribution holds up – and when it doesn’t
- 11.Verdict
- 12.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Full name | Christoph Schöttler Maschinenfabrik, known as Schöma |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Diepholz, Lower Saxony |
| Role in the system | manufacturer of small and construction railway locomotives, not a railway operator |
| Current focus | tunnel locomotives for driving and tunnel construction sites |
| Gauges | narrow and standard gauge – the specific build decides, not the type |
| Designation system | works types instead of class numbers, for example CFL-40 DR |
| UIC type code | 98 for registered small locomotives – 92 denotes diesel main-line locomotives |
| Reliable source in the field | the builder's plate with manufacturer, works number and year built |
| Official website | www.schoema.de |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
How to recognise Schöma Kleinlokomotiven
Does the train really belong to Schöma Kleinlokomotiven?
- Short, rigid frame without bogies – the typical silhouette of a small locomotive, not a main-line locomotive
- Engine bonnet with removable covers and a small cab or open driving position
- Builder's plate bearing the name Christoph Schöttler Maschinenfabrik, Diepholz, plus a works number
- Works type instead of class – a letter group, number and suffix, for example CFL-200 DR
- Warning and signal colours instead of railway livery, often with reflective stripes carried over from construction site use
- Tunnel builds often carry superstructures for exhaust treatment and enclosed driver's cabs
- Location is a clue in itself: works yard, construction site depot or narrow-gauge operation, practically never a platform
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- A clearly defined niche – if you find one small locomotive, you rarely find the same vehicle twice
- Vehicles often stay in service for decades, so they can be traced again over the long term
- The builder's plate gives you manufacturer, number and year built at a glance
- Narrow-gauge operations and island railways make Schöma technology publicly accessible
- The build is distinctive enough that confusion with main-line locomotives is practically ruled out
Where it falls short
- The works type isn't fully decoded publicly – much of it stays interpretation
- Most vehicles are on private land and aren't freely visible
- There's no reliable, continuously maintained public source for production numbers and delivery lists
- Livery and keeper change often; any information on this is only a snapshot
- Tunnel locomotives usually leave Germany packed up – you'll almost never see them on the network
Updated: August 2026 – There are locomotives that never stop at a platform and have still been built for nearly a century. Schöma of Diepholz delivers exactly that kind: compact diesel locomotives for works yards, field railways and, above all, tunnel construction sites. If you want to identify one of these vehicles properly, you have to reverse the usual order – here the number isn’t on the side of the vehicle, but on a plate on the frame.
Spotted a small locomotive? Log it before it's moved on
Works number, location and date captured in seconds – with works locomotives that's often your only chance.
Two machine works in one small town
Diepholz is a small town between Bremen and Osnabrück – and yet a place with a double locomotive-building tradition. In 1930, Christoph Schöttler founded his own machine works there after leaving his father’s company, DIEMA. The family name became the brand Schöma. Both firms went on to build small diesel locomotives and both supplied industrial, field and works railways. Anyone who sees a DIEMA DVL 150 and a comparable Schöma machine side by side immediately understands why identification without a builder’s plate is difficult.
The path from mill building to locomotives was typical for the trade: anyone who knew how to build combustion-engine machinery could also build a chassis underneath one. From the 1950s onward, shunting locomotives and special vehicles joined the range, and later the focus shifted into tunnel construction. Competitors in this niche were based right across Germany – vehicles such as the Gmeinder D 25 B or the LKM V 10 C belong to the same market segment.
What separates a tunnel locomotive from a shunter
Today’s focus is on vehicles that work in driving operations. A tunnel locomotive runs short distances, always the same ones, under conditions that don’t exist out on the open line: restricted clearance, forced ventilation, and high demands on exhaust treatment and fire protection. That leads to designs that would make no sense on the running network – enclosed cabs, superstructures for exhaust treatment, extremely short frames.
| Field of use | Typical build | How to recognise it | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunnel driving | narrow gauge, enclosed cab | superstructures for ventilation and exhaust, construction site colours | practically never public |
| Works and siding railway | standard gauge, short rigid frame | shunter’s steps, grab rails, warning livery | viewable only from outside |
| Field and narrow-gauge railway | very small gauges, open driving position | vehicle looks “too small” for the track | some in museum operation |
| Island railway | narrow gauge, passenger service | locomotive hauling coaches, running to a timetable | public, at the stop |
The last row is the most interesting for you: on the East Frisian islands, vehicles of this type run in regular passenger service. At the Borkumer Kleinbahn and the Inselbahn Langeoog, you stand on the platform rather than at the fence. The narrow-gauge operation of the Harz narrow-gauge railways is similarly accessible, for instance on the Brocken line – why small stations are often the better spots for this is covered in Small stations.
Type code first, manufacturer second
Before you think about the manufacturer, sort the vehicle: 98 is a diesel shunting or small locomotive, 92 a diesel main-line locomotive, 99 a railway service vehicle. This one string of digits saves you most misattributions – and it's still on the vehicle even when the builder's plate has been painted over.
Works, transfer and test runs
A small-locomotive manufacturer moves its vehicles differently to a locomotive works with a siding onto the main network. The process is still comparable – it just often ends on a low-loader rather than on rail.
Testing at the works
First runs on short works tracks, often with temporary markings. This phase is practically impossible to observe from outside.
Handover to the customer
Industrial firms and construction companies take delivery of their own vehicles. Only afterwards does the livery you'll later see get applied.
Transport instead of a transfer run
Narrow-gauge and tunnel vehicles go by road, either dismantled or whole. There's usually no transfer run on the network at all.
Service at the destination
Operation begins at the construction site or works and can run for years – without the vehicle ever touching the public network again.
A second life on the used market
Small locomotives get traded, moved on and repainted. That's why every sighting needs a date, not just a location – see keeping a sightings log.
Collect works numbers, not guesses
With small locomotives, one plate decides the attribution. With Traintrack you log it straight away.
When an attribution holds up – and when it doesn’t
The attribution holds when …
- you've read the builder's plate with manufacturer and works number
- the works type is marked on the vehicle
- a full vehicle number is present and legible
Stay cautious when …
- only the build matches, but no plate is legible
- the vehicle has clearly been rebuilt or re-engined
- the livery and markings are obviously new
No attribution possible when …
- the vehicle was only visible from a great distance
- plates are missing or painted over
- you'd have to rely on colour and size alone
Construction sites and works land are off limits
Tunnel construction sites, works tracks and private sidings are workplaces subject to house rules and considerable operational hazard. A better photo doesn't justify trespassing. Observe only from publicly accessible land and keep clear of the track – the rules for this are set out in keeping a safe distance from the track.
Assess a small-locomotive spot
A visible spot is the lever – everything else only improves the haul.
Verdict
Schöma is a manufacturer you won’t find in any long-distance traffic statistics, and yet you’ll come across it underground across half of Europe. For spotters, the company is therefore not a destination but a key: it stands for a whole type of operation in which works types take on the role of classes and a riveted plate is worth more than any logo.
If you come across a compact diesel locomotive on a siding, the first move isn’t the camera but the question of type code and builder’s plate. The rest follows – or honestly stays open. Either is better than a guessed attribution.
Verdict in brief
You identify small locomotives from Diepholz not by shape and colour, but by type code, works type and builder's plate. Where those three are missing, the sighting needs a question mark – not a manufacturer's name.
Build an archive of rare vehicles
Small locomotives change keeper, colour and location. An entry with a date outlives every one of those changes.
Summary
- Small-locomotive building is a world of its own: short production runs, long service lives, customers from industry and construction rather than transport operators.
- Because class lists don't apply here, identification shifts from the outward look of the vehicle to plates and numbers.
- Tunnel locomotives are why a small-to-medium Lower Saxon firm has a presence at construction sites right around the world – almost none of it visible in Germany.
- Island railways and narrow-gauge operations are the most realistic chance to see vehicles of this type legally and up close.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Schöma stand for?
It's an abbreviation of Schöttler Maschinenfabrik. The company's full name is Christoph Schöttler Maschinenfabrik, based in Diepholz in Lower Saxony. The founder came from the family that also ran the neighbouring Diepholzer Maschinenfabrik, DIEMA – vehicles such as the DIEMA DVL 150 come from that second line.
What does a type designation like CFL-200 DR mean?
It's a works type, not a class designation. The code consists of a letter group, a number indicating size, and a suffix for the specific build. There's no complete, publicly documented key to this code – which is why the builder's plate remains the reliable source. Examples can be found at the Schöma CFL-200 DR and the CFL-40 DR.
Why does the vehicle number start with 98?
Because 98 denotes diesel shunting and small locomotives in the UIC system. Diesel main-line locomotives carry 92, railway service vehicles 99. For you, that's the fastest way to sort a vehicle into the right category before you even know the manufacturer. The structure of the number is covered in the guide to reading a UIC number.
What is a tunnel locomotive, and why is it special?
A tunnel locomotive supplies a driving operation: it brings material and personnel to the face and takes spoil back out. Operation takes place in an enclosed space, so exhaust treatment, ventilation and fire protection play a completely different role than out on the open line. Such vehicles mostly run on narrow gauge and are tailored to the individual construction site.
Can I see Schöma locomotives anywhere in public?
Most easily in the narrow-gauge operation of the East Frisian island railways. The Borkumer Kleinbahn and the Inselbahn Langeoog run vehicles of this type in scheduled service. There, the locomotives stand at regular stops rather than on fenced-off works land. That said, there's no permanently reliable public overview of current numbers.
Does Schöma also build locomotives for the public rail network?
The focus is clearly on works, construction and tunnel railways. Individual vehicles are approved for running on public track and then carry a full twelve-digit vehicle number. Main-line locomotives in the sense of hauling trains over long distances, though, aren't part of the range – that's the domain of manufacturers such as Vossloh or Siemens Mobility.
How do I tell a Schöma locomotive apart from other small locomotives?
Not by shape alone – small locomotives from different manufacturers look very similar. A Gmeinder D 25 B and a comparable Schöma machine are barely distinguishable at a distance. What matters is the builder's plate on the frame or cab. Without that plate, any manufacturer attribution stays a guess, and you should note it as such.
Why don't Schöma vehicles appear on any class list?
Because class numbers come from the state railways' own system. Vehicles that were never on a state railway's roster don't get one. Instead, operators use their own running numbers or names. That's not a gap but a different world – the guide to identifying classes explains where this system stops applying.
How does a tunnel locomotive get to the construction site?
Almost never under its own power. Narrow-gauge vehicles are dismantled, or loaded whole onto low-loaders and into containers, and transported by road or ship. That's exactly why you practically never see these vehicles on the German rail network – the route from the works to the job site bypasses the track entirely.
May I photograph on works land to document a small locomotive?
No. Works, construction and private siding railways are private property, and construction site areas carry a significant operational hazard on top of that. Document only from land that's publicly accessible. The legal side is covered in the article on house rules on stations and operational land.
Log vehicles from Schöma Kleinlokomotiven
Company, vehicle, location and date logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
The operational level in the railway operator database
Who actually runs the trains, with keeper markings and identifying features on the vehicle.
Borkumer Kleinbahn- und Dampfschiffahrt (BKD)
The company name combines two modes of transport: a Kleinbahn (light railway) and shipping. This combination is typical of island services – and changes everything about how the railway operates.
Local & regionalInselbahn Langeoog
Inselbahn Langeoog runs on a network that connects nowhere to the rest of the railway system. That shapes every decision – above all the ones about vehicles.
HeritageHarzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB)
The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen run a metre-gauge network in the Harz with daily steam operation. You can spot them by the track alone, long before a train arrives.
Typical vehicles
Schöma CFL-200 DR
The Schöma CFL-200 DR is a small diesel locomotive from Diepholz. Its type code places the design – the rest is on the works plate.
ClassSchöma CFL-40 DR
The Schöma CFL-40 DR is a small locomotive built in Diepholz – with no DB class number. Here's how to read the works plate, UIC number and markings correctly.
ClassSchöma CFL250DVR
The Schöma CFL250DVR is a diesel shunting locomotive for industrial railways and private sidings. This page shows where such machines work and how to place them safely.
ClassDIEMA DVL 150
The DIEMA DVL 150 is a small diesel locomotive from Diepholz of the kind that works on industrial and private sidings. Identifying it comes down chiefly to the builder's plate.
ClassGmeinder D 25 B
The Gmeinder D 25 B is a two-axle small locomotive from Mosbach. Its type code reveals the drive and wheel arrangement – the rest is on the builder's plate.
ClassLKM V 10 C
The LKM V 10 C is a three-axle shunting diesel locomotive from Babelsberg. Reliable identification comes down to the type code and the twelve-digit vehicle number.
Where you will find Schöma Kleinlokomotiven
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
Harzer Schmalspurbahnen zum Brocken
The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen operate Germany's largest connected metre-gauge network – and the only scheduled steam operation of this scale. On the Brockenbahn, trains work their way up to the highest mountain in northern Germany every day.
Freight hubDuisburg-Hochfeld Süd
Duisburg is the freight hub of the Ruhr region, and Hochfeld Süd is the point where the trains cross the Rhine. If you're after heavy freight trains, port traffic and locomotives from private operators rather than ICE units, you'll find one of Germany's busiest freight lines here.
More companies
Gmeinder Lokomotiven
Gmeinder of Mosbach never built an ICE, but for decades it built the vehicles that shunt at every works site and every port. Once you understand its type scheme of drive, power class and wheel arrangement, a small locomotive tells you more than many a main-line locomotive.
ManufacturerWindhoff Bahn- und Anlagentechnik
Windhoff of Rheine builds the vehicles nobody notices as a train: multi-purpose vehicles for maintenance, road-rail technology, and equipment for entire workshops. For spotters, that is a category all of its own with its own rules of recognition.
ManufacturerRailtec Eisenbahntechnik
Railtec Eisenbahntechnik in Marl overhauls used shunting locomotives, hires them out and sells them. Independent workshops like this are why machines from the 1960s are still in service – and their traces can be read straight off the vehicle.
ManufacturerVossloh
In spotting logs, Vossloh stands for a whole family of diesel locomotives – and today builds not a single one any more. The company has long since shifted to rail fastening, points and rail machining. The G-locos keep running regardless, under new owners.
Related guides from the blog
- Reading the UIC number: what the 12 digits on a vehicle reveal
- Identifying Train Classes: How to Recognise Any Locomotive or Multiple Unit
- Small Stations for Spotting: Why They're Often Better Than the Hbf
- Property Rights at the Station: Where You May Stand and Where You May Not
- Keeping a Sighting Logbook: From Scraps of Paper to a Real Database
