Key takeaways
- The 798 is the classic VT 98: the best-known vehicle of the Uerdinger railbus family.
- Fastest way to recognise it: two axles, very short bodyshell, front like a bus.
- The formation is the giveaway: railcar, trailer car 996 and driving trailer 998 together form a train that can be driven from either end.
- Difference from the 796: not the shape, but the control equipment – the number is what decides it.
- Historic today: runs only at heritage and museum railways, never in the regular timetable.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Two-axle light diesel railcar for branch lines |
|---|---|
| Original designation | VT 98 of the Deutsche Bundesbahn |
| Origin | Uerdinger railbus, second generation |
| Numbering path | VT 98 → Classes 796 and 798 with the 1968 computer numbering changeover |
| Associated vehicles | Trailer car VB 98 (Class 996), driving trailer VS 98 (Class 998) |
| UIC type code | 95 – diesel railcars |
| Current status | No scheduled service; surviving formations with heritage and museum railways |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Two axles, no bogies – the bodyshell sits directly on the wheelsets
- Short, lightweight bodyshell with a bus-like front and large windscreens
- Buffers and screw couplings to standard pattern – the family can work alongside ordinary vehicles
- Often runs as a formation: railcar, non-powered trailer car and driving trailer with a cab
- Vehicle number begins with 798; historical data panels show VT 98
- Characteristic, loud droning engine note when pulling away
Updated: August 2026 – Short, red, two-axled and impossible to miss when it pulls away: Class 798 is the best-known representative of the Uerdinger railbus. This page explains how the classic formation of railcar, trailer car and driving trailer works, how to reliably identify the family, and how you can still see one of the surviving units running today.
Caught a railbus formation?
Note all three vehicle numbers – for historic formations, the make-up of the train is part of the sighting.
What is Class 798?
Class 798 is a two-axle light diesel railcar for branch lines, originally carried by the Deutsche Bundesbahn as the VT 98. It belongs to the second generation of the Uerdinger railbus and was developed in the 1950s, after the very light first generation had proved too limited.
The 98 generation was built more solidly and carried buffers and screw couplings to standard pattern. That let it work alongside ordinary vehicles – a practical advantage on branch lines, where the same diagram often had to cover several jobs. The predecessor, the VT 95, later Class 795, by contrast remained consistently built to pure lightweight principles.
The formation: railcar, trailer car, driving trailer
What defines the 98 family isn’t the individual vehicle but the formation. Three roles fit together, and the old letters say exactly which:
- VT – Verbrennungstriebwagen (diesel railcar). Traction and driving cabs at both ends. After 1968, Classes 796 and 798.
- VB – Beiwagen (trailer car). Neither traction nor a cab, purely along for extra capacity. After 1968, the number range of Class 996.
- VS – Steuerwagen (driving trailer). Driving cab, no traction. From here the train can be driven without the railcar having to be at the front. After 1968, Class 998.
The operational benefit is obvious at once: at the terminus of a branch line, nothing had to be run round. The driver simply changed cabs, and the train ran back. That’s exactly what the driving trailer was needed for – and exactly where the difference lies from the older 95 family, which had only a trailer car and no driving trailer.
This modular logic gave branch lines an ideal flexibility. If one railcar was enough, it ran alone. If it got busier, a trailer car was added. If both ends needed to be driven, a driving trailer completed the formation. And where passenger numbers allowed, several railcars could be coupled into longer formations. The same basic idea lives on today in the double-heading of modern short railcars – except that coupling now happens automatically and no longer ties up shunting staff.
Record the formation too
On heritage runs, the make-up changes more often than you'd think. Anyone who notes all the vehicle numbers of a formation records what actually ran that day – information the photo alone doesn't always show.
How to identify the VT 98 in the field
Count the axles
Two axles per vehicle, directly in the frame. There are no bogies. That already identifies the railbus family in practice.
Assess the front
Flat, with large windows and a clear bus-like look. No engine bonnets, no bulky roof fittings.
Check the formation
A cab plus traction: railcar. A cab without traction: driving trailer. Neither: trailer car. That gives you the formation.
Read the numbers
Only the full vehicle numbers decide between 796 and 798, and between 996 and 998. Photograph them too.
A systematic sequence for identifications like this is given in the guide to identifying classes.
Where it fits in rail operations
The railbus was the backbone of the Bundesbahn’s branch-line services – and today it’s a pure heritage vehicle. The technology is kept alive by societies such as the Arbeitskreis Ostertalbahn, which runs a whole branch line in the Saarland with railcars of this generation. In the Palatinate, the Kuckucksbähnel runs from Neustadt through the Elmstein valley. Its starting point is also the DGEG Railway Museum Neustadt/Weinstraße, housed in the grounds of a former locomotive depot. This overview sets out where you can realistically look.
| Search route | Chance of success | What you’ll get there |
|---|---|---|
| Running days of heritage and museum railways | high | Firm dates, often with the vehicle named |
| Direct enquiry to the running society | high | Serviceability, planning, tips on photo spots |
| Specialist forums with special-service threads | high | Transfer runs, short-notice services, reports afterwards |
| Community sightings with photo and date | medium | Current location and condition |
| Older fleet lists online | low | Often outdated – vehicles change owner and location |
| Regular timetable | none | No scheduled service any more |
Historic stock means: nothing is guaranteed
Serviceability for vehicles this age depends on deadlines, spare parts and volunteer labour. Don't plan a trip on an older source – only on a current confirmation from the organiser.
Where's a railbus running right now?
Community sightings show you, day by day, which historic vehicles are out and about.
Spotting and photo tips
The railbus is one of the most rewarding historic subjects there is – provided the setting is right. In front of a modern station building it looks out of place; at a small halt, on a single-track line or in front of an old station building it tells its era at once.
Three things make the difference. First, a low viewpoint: the bodyshell is short, and a high angle makes it look stubby. Second, a shallow three-quarter view, which shows front and side wall at once and keeps the two axles visible. Third, the complete formation in the frame, when one is running – the three-vehicle arrangement is part of the story.
Add a factual shot of the side walls with the vehicle numbers. For the fundamentals of composition, exposure and panning, see the guide to good train photos; the research routes around the heritage-railway scene are covered in the heritage railway guide.
On safety: the owner’s house rules apply on museum and society grounds. Keep to marked paths and barriers, don’t enter track areas, and never assume a track is unused. Shunting takes place on such sites, often without the safety technology you’d find at major stations.
Common mix-ups
It points to the 798 if …
- you're looking at a two-axle railbus of the second generation
- buffers and screw couplings to standard pattern are fitted
- the formation has a driving trailer at the other end
- the full vehicle number begins with 798
Look more closely if …
- you can only judge the shape – 796 and 798 look identical
- the vehicle has been restored to a historic condition
- several railcars and trailer cars are running in the same train
It's not a 798 if …
- the vehicle runs on bogies
- it has no traction of its own
- the number begins with 795, 796, 996 or 998
The shared origin of both second-generation classes is described on the page for the Uerdinger railbus VT 98.
Verdict
Class 798 is the vehicle people picture when the railbus is mentioned. Two axles, a very short bodyshell and a front like a bus make identification a matter of seconds. More interesting than the individual vehicle is the formation: railcar, trailer car and driving trailer together form a train that can be driven from either end – exactly the idea that once made branch-line operation economical again. Today you’ll only see it running where societies keep this technology alive.
In brief
Two axles, short red bodyshell, bus-like front: that's the VT 98 as Class 798. The formation with trailer car and driving trailer is the real subject – and you'll only find it at heritage and museum railways.
Record historic formations in full
All the numbers, plus date, place and occasion, in one place – so what you actually saw stays traceable.
Summary
- The VT 98 saved services on countless branch lines in the 1950s and 1960s – and became the emblem of that era.
- The family can be identified by its two axles, short length and bus-like front.
- The three-part formation of railcar, trailer car and driving trailer is the classic arrangement and can still be seen in heritage operation today.
- Dates, serviceability and locations should always be checked directly with the society.
Frequently asked questions
What is Class 798?
Class 798 is the second-generation Uerdinger railbus, originally designated VT 98. It is a two-axle, lightly built diesel railcar for branch lines of the Deutsche Bundesbahn. With the computer numbering changeover in 1968, vehicles of the VT 98 family received the class numbers 796 and 798.
What is a railbus formation?
The classic arrangement consists of three vehicles: the railcar with traction and driving cabs, a trailer car with neither traction nor a cab, and a driving trailer with a cab but no traction. This lets the train be driven from either end without having to run the loco round at the terminus.
How do I reliably identify a VT 98?
By two axles with no bogies, an unusually short bodyshell and the bus-like front with large windows. Add to that buffers and screw couplings to standard pattern. Once you know the silhouette, you'll recognise it even from a great distance.
What's the difference between the 796 and the 798?
Both come from the same design and look identical. They're separated by the control equipment, in other words whether the vehicle can be remote-controlled in a formation with a driving trailer and further railcars. This can't be decided from the outside – only the full vehicle number helps.
Why is the railbus called Roter Brummer?
Because of its paint scheme and its noise. The vehicles carried the Bundesbahn's typical red branch-line livery, and the engine worked so audibly when pulling away that the nickname arose by itself. It was never official, but everyone in the scene understands it.
Is Class 798 still in regular service?
No. All surviving vehicles belong to heritage and museum railways or private owners. They run on running days, anniversaries and special services. Whether a particular vehicle is serviceable changes with deadlines and workshop capacity – check with the organiser before you travel.
How do I find runs with a railbus?
Via the event calendars of heritage and museum railways, specialist forums with special-service threads, and current sighting reports from the community. Older location lists are unreliable, because vehicles get sold, moved or put into storage.
What does the type code 95 tell you about the railbus?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit UIC vehicle number describe the vehicle type, and 95 stands for diesel railcars. So the code separates by vehicle category, not by age or size: a railbus from the 1950s and a modern regional railcar carry the same type code.
Log your sighting of the Class 798
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Class 795
The Class 795 is the VT 95, the Bundesbahn's first-generation Uerdingen railbus: two-axle, extremely light, and today running almost only at heritage railways.
DMUClass 998
Class 998 is the driving trailer of the railbus family: it looks like a railcar and has a cab – but no engine.
DMUClass VT 98 (Uerdinger Railbus)
The VT 98 is Germany's best-known railbus: two axles, tall build, running with trailers and driving trailers. Today it survives almost only in heritage service – here's how to spot it.
DMUDB Class 614
The Class 614 was the three-car local-service railcar of the 1970s: two motor cars, one intermediate car and a look you recognise instantly.
DMUClass 615 (Bombardier Itino)
The Itino is one of the rarest diesel railcars in German regional services. As Class 615 it falls between the big families LINT, Talent and Desiro.
DMUClass 620 (Alstom Coradia LINT 81)
The Class 620 is the three-car Coradia LINT 81 – the longest member of the LINT family, and already identifiable by its number of car sections.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Arbeitskreis Ostertalbahn e.V.
The Arbeitskreis Ostertalbahn keeps a Saarland branch line between Ottweiler and Schwarzerden running. No overhead line, no scheduled service, no steam as standard – instead railcars that have long since vanished elsewhere, on a line with its branch-line character intact.
Heritage railwayDGEG Eisenbahnmuseum Neustadt/Weinstr.
The DGEG Eisenbahnmuseum in Neustadt an der Weinstraße sits in the grounds of a former motive power depot and collects the railway history of the Palatinate. It is also the starting point of the Kuckucksbähnel – museum and running heritage railway lie right next to each other here, which is unusual.
Heritage railwayDGEG Kuckucksbähnel
The Kuckucksbähnel runs from Neustadt an der Weinstraße through the Elmstein valley into the Palatinate Forest. The line was built for timber transport, not day-trippers – and that still shapes its character today: narrow, wooded, slow.
Heritage railwayHärtsfeld-Museumsbahn
The Härtsfeldbahn was a metre-gauge branch line on the Ostalb, known locally as the "Schättere". A society has rebuilt a section from Neresheim and now runs heritage services there – narrow gauge in a region where nothing else of the kind survives.
Related guides from the blog
