Key takeaways
- Class 381 is not a steam locomotive, but a battery-powered small locomotive for light shunting duties.
- 46 examples were built between 1930 and 1938 by AEG, BMAG and Windhoff.
- The letters Ks stand for a small locomotive with storage-battery drive – on small locomotives, the letters always give away the type of traction.
- The number 381 only arrived in 1968 with the Deutsche Bundesbahn's computer-era renumbering, and only for the 22 remaining locomotives.
- No longer in regular service: what survives stands in museums or with heritage societies.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Battery-powered small locomotive for light shunting duty |
|---|---|
| Traction | electric from an onboard battery, no overhead line and no combustion engine |
| Wheel arrangement | Bo – two individually powered axles |
| Years built | 1930 to 1938 |
| Numbers built | 46 examples, built by AEG, BMAG and Windhoff |
| Original designation | type Ks (small locomotive with storage-battery drive), later Ka with the Bundesbahn |
| Computer-era designation | from 1968, Class 381 for the remaining 22 examples |
| Current status | no regular service, individual vehicles preserved in museums |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- A very small, box-shaped vehicle with only two axles – noticeably shorter than any main-line locomotive
- No chimney, no exhaust, no pantograph – power comes from onboard batteries
- Cab usually central or at one end, often glazed all round for visibility in both directions
- Running number begins with 381, older lettering with the class letters Ks or Ka
- Always found in shunting and workshop areas, never hauling passenger or freight trains on the open line
Updated: August 2026 – A box-shaped vehicle barely as long as a wagon, with no chimney and no pantograph, shoving individual wagons around a station: that’s a small locomotive of type Ks, listed from 1968 as Class 381. This page explains what’s behind the letters and the number, why these vehicles ran on batteries instead of a boiler, and where you can find the surviving examples today.
Rare vehicles belong in the logbook
Small locomotives are rarely documented – which is exactly why every clean sighting is valuable. Logged in seconds with Traintrack.
What is Class 381?
Class 381 is a battery-powered small locomotive for light shunting duty. Between 1930 and 1938, 46 examples were built by AEG, BMAG and the forerunner of today’s Windhoff Bahn- und Anlagentechnik; they ran on the Deutsche Reichsbahn under the class letters Ks, for “Kleinlok mit Speicherantrieb” (small locomotive with storage-battery drive), and later as Ka with the Deutsche Bundesbahn. The three-digit number 381 was only given to the remaining group of 22 locomotives in 1968, as part of the computer-era renumbering.
Important for placing it correctly: these vehicles have no steam traction whatsoever. They run electrically from onboard batteries, with no overhead line and no combustion engine. In vehicle databases they often appear alongside other historic traction types because they date from the same era – but technically they belong to their own family.
The small locomotives’ numbering and class-letter system
Small locomotives never followed the classic class scheme used for main-line locomotives. They had their own, highly descriptive system that can be read in three steps.
First letter: the category
A K at the start stands for Kleinlokomotive (small locomotive) – a vehicle for shunting duties, deliberately built simpler and lighter than a main-line locomotive.
Second letter: the type of traction
b for benzole engine, d for diesel engine, ö for oil engine, e for electric operation from an overhead line, s or a for storage-battery and accumulator drive. The s in Ks is thus the actual piece of information.
Power class and computer-era number
Small locomotives were additionally divided into power classes. In 1968 the Bundesbahn replaced the letter system with three-digit class numbers – the battery small locomotives landed in the range 381.
This principle makes small locomotives easy to place in the field once you can read the lettering. How vehicle numbers are generally structured, and what each digit means, is explained in the article on the UIC vehicle number and its check digit; the sequence for working through features is in the guide to identifying classes.
Small locomotive or shunting locomotive?
Small locomotives are noticeably shorter and lighter than classic shunting locomotives. Rule of thumb: if the vehicle's length roughly matches a two-axle freight wagon, it's a small locomotive. If it needs the length of a passenger carriage, it's a shunting or main-line locomotive.
Where it fits into railway operations: what battery drive made sense for
Battery drive wasn’t a gimmick, but an answer to specific operating conditions. Anywhere smoke, sparks or exhaust fumes were a problem, a battery small locomotive had the advantage.
| Traction type | Typical location | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery / storage (Ks, Ka) | sheds, workshops, platform areas | no exhaust fumes, no sparks, quiet | limited range, charging time |
| Oil engine / diesel (Kö, Kd) | open station tracks, private sidings | refuel instead of charge, greater range | exhaust fumes, noise |
| Overhead line (Ke) | electrified facilities | no energy storage needed | usable only under wire |
| Steam (classic shunting locomotive) | larger marshalling yards of the steam era | high tractive effort | long warm-up, sparks |
This division explains why battery small locomotives never became a large series: their advantage only counted in certain locations. Diesel small locomotives, and later classic shunting locomotives such as the Class V 60, took over general shunting duty. In the steam era, heavy tank locomotives such as the Class 90 did the work at the large marshalling yards.
The small stuff counts too
Shunting and small locomotives are missing from most collections. Log your finds and close the gaps.
Where to look for the vehicles today
Preserved battery small locomotives stand in railway museums and with heritage societies. There are no scheduled workings and no fixed route on which to catch them. These research approaches work:
- Vehicle lists of railway museums. Anyone who owns a historic small locomotive usually lists it publicly. That listing also states whether it’s operational or shown as a static exhibit.
- Museum festivals and open days. These are exactly when small locomotives get moved, because they suit demonstrations on short stretches of track. The overview on heritage railway research shows where such dates turn up.
- Works and industrial railways. Small locomotives often survived in workshops and private sidings. This can only be observed from publicly accessible areas – the site itself is private property.
- Shunting areas of large stations. How to observe there legally and sensibly is described in the guide to spotting at marshalling yards.
- Your own documentation. Because hardly anyone records small locomotives systematically, a carefully kept sighting logbook is especially valuable here.
Operational railway land is off-limits
Workshops, private sidings, stabling sidings and museum tracks are operational railway land or private property. Entering them is not permitted, and barriers and staff instructions apply without exception. Photograph from publicly accessible locations; the basic rules are summarised in the article on safety distance from the track.
Another reason these vehicles are so hard to catch: small locomotives usually move only a few hundred metres a day, often irregularly and with no fixed schedule. Unlike a train, there’s no path, no train number and no timetable entry to go by. Anyone wanting to see a particular small locomotive therefore needs either an announced demonstration or patience at a place where the vehicle is regularly needed.
For documentation, that means: given an opportunity, photograph thoroughly rather than quickly. Cab, side view, data panel and the full vehicle number are four shots that together document a sighting for good. With historic vehicles, that’s often more valuable than a single, aesthetically perfect photo – because the next chance might not come for years.
Common mix-ups
It points to a battery small locomotive if …
- the vehicle has two axles and is barely longer than a freight wagon
- neither chimney, exhaust nor pantograph is visible
- it only moves in shunting or workshop areas
- the lettering reads Ks, Ka, or a number starting with 381
Look more closely if …
- the vehicle is similarly small but carries an exhaust pipe on the roof – then it's a diesel small locomotive
- the lettering is missing or painted over
- it's a works locomotive of an industrial site that follows no railway scheme
It is not a small locomotive if …
- the vehicle has three or more axles
- a boiler, chimney or tender is present
- it runs onto the open line with a train
Class 381 is most easily confused with diesel small locomotives of the same size class – there an exhaust pipe on the roof gives away the difference. Among the Bundesbahn’s battery-powered rail vehicles, the larger relative is the Class 515 battery railcar, which applied the same drive concept to passenger services.
Conclusion
Class 381 is a niche vehicle with a clear logic: small, two-axle, battery-powered, built for tasks where a steam or diesel engine would have been a problem. Anyone who can read the letters Ks understands the vehicle at once – and also knows why it was never needed in large numbers. Today you’ll only encounter it in museums.
In short
Two axles, no chimney, no pantograph, lettering Ks or 381: that's the Reichsbahn's battery small locomotive. Not a steam vehicle, no regular service – but a rewarding subject for anyone collecting beyond the big classes.
Collect the vehicles nobody else logs too
Small locomotives, railway service vehicles, museum pieces – with Traintrack it all lands in one searchable logbook.
Summary
- Class 381 belongs to the family of small locomotives that supplied stations and workshops with individual wagons for decades.
- Battery drive was the answer for places where smoke, sparks or exhaust fumes would have been a problem.
- The designations Ks, Ka and 381 refer to the same vehicles at different points in time.
- Anyone wanting to see one should look in railway museums and with heritage societies – not on the line.
Frequently asked questions
Is Class 381 a steam locomotive?
No. Class 381 is a battery-powered small locomotive, in other words an electrically driven vehicle with an onboard battery. It's often listed in vehicle databases alongside historic traction types, but has nothing to do with steam operation – boiler, chimney and tender are all absent.
What does the abbreviation Ks mean?
Ks stands for Kleinlok mit Speicherantrieb (small locomotive with storage-battery drive). On small locomotives, the first letter K denotes the vehicle category, the second the type of traction: b for benzole, d for diesel, ö for oil engine, e for electric operation from an overhead line, and s or a for storage-battery and accumulator drive.
How many Class 381 vehicles were there?
A total of 46 vehicles were built between 1930 and 1938 by AEG, BMAG and Windhoff. At the 1968 computer-era renumbering, the remaining 22 locomotives received the class designation 381. How many of them still exist today depends on museum holdings and heritage-society projects.
What were battery small locomotives used for?
For light shunting duty: moving individual wagons, serving workshop tracks, supplying station facilities. Battery drive had the advantage anywhere smoke, sparks or exhaust fumes were unwanted – for example in sheds, on platforms or in enclosed facilities.
How do I recognise a small locomotive in the field?
By its size and axle count. Small locomotives generally have two axles, are barely longer than a freight wagon, and carry a single cab, often centrally placed. They move exclusively in shunting and workshop areas and never run with trains onto the open line.
What happened to the numbers in 1968?
The Deutsche Bundesbahn switched its entire vehicle fleet to a numbering scheme suited to computer processing. Class letters such as Ka became three-digit class numbers. The battery small locomotives landed in the range 381, diesel-powered small locomotives in other number groups. The vehicles themselves stayed unchanged.
Can you still see a Class 381 in service today?
Not in the regular service of railway operators. Preserved vehicles stand in railway museums and with heritage societies, some operational for shunting moves on their own site. Whether a particular vehicle is operational changes constantly – if in doubt, ask the operator directly.
How do I document a sighting properly?
Note the full vehicle number, the date, the place and the occasion. With historic small locomotives it's also worth noting the lettering: some vehicles still carry the old class letters, others the computer-era number. That distinction is exactly what makes a sighting valuable later on.
Log your sighting of the Class 381 (Ks)
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Related classes
Class 515 (ETA 150)
Class 515 was the Bundesbahn's battery railcar: 232 vehicles, built from 1953, in service until 1995. Today you'll only encounter it in heritage operation.
ShunterDB Class V 60 (DB 260/261/360/361/364/365)
The V 60 is the classic three-axle shunting locomotive of the Bundesbahn – identifiable by coupling rods and a rigid frame. Its many numbers tell the story of its rebuilds.
Steam/specialClass 90
Class 90 is a DRG collective number for freight tender locomotives inherited from the state railways. Here's how to understand the system behind it.
Steam/specialClass 52
Class 52 is Germany's most-built steam locomotive: over 7,000 wartime locomotives with five coupled axles. Today you'll only encounter it in museum operation.
Steam/specialClass 52.80
Class 52.80 is the rebuilt version of the wartime Class 52: 200 locomotives with a new boiler, converted from 1960. Today one of the most common museum steam locomotives.
Steam/specialClass 55 (Prussian G8 / G8.1)
Class 55 groups together the Prussian freight locomotives G 8 and G 8.1: four-coupled tender locomotives with no leading or trailing axle. Here's how to identify them.
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