Class 89

Updated: August 2026 – A small steam locomotive, three equally sized wheels, no tender behind it: that’s the typical picture of a Class 89. This number group stands for three-coupled tender locomotives in shunting service – machines that were never fast, but were needed everywhere. This page shows you how to recognise them, what their number tells you, and where you can still encounter them today.

What is Class 89?

Class 89 is the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft’s number group for tender locomotives with wheel arrangement C – three coupled driving axles, no carrying axles. Such machines were used in shunting service, for transfer runs and for light freight workings over short distances.

Under this single number the DRG brought together very different designs from the fleets of the former state railways. The best-known group is the Prussian class T 3, run by the Reichsbahn as sub-class 89.7. These small machines were built in large numbers and later handed on extensively to private, industrial and light railways – which is exactly why more of them than average have survived into the museum era.

There’s no longer any regular service. Wherever an 89 is under steam today, it’s running as a historic vehicle at a society or heritage operation. The Hessencourrier on the former Kassel–Naumburg light railway is one such operation: standard gauge, steam-hauled and run entirely by volunteers. South of Dresden, the Sächsische Museumseisenbahn Windbergbahn keeps the line and vehicles of Germany’s oldest mountain railway together.

Wheel arrangement C: the feature that decides everything

For steam locomotives, the wheel arrangement is what the number of bogies is for electric locomotives: the first, fastest and most reliable identifying feature. It works even from a distance and in poor light.

If you want to learn this system properly once, instead of working it out afresh for every locomotive, the guide to identifying classes will help.

Where the 89 sits in the numbering system

The DRG’s steam locomotive numbering system is organised by intended use and design. Within the tender-locomotive band for freight and shunting duties, the number roughly rises with size and the number of coupled axles.

Class	Coupled axles	Typical task
88	few, light designs	small shunting and branch-line duties
89	three (wheel arrangement C)	station shunting duties, transfer runs
92	four (wheel arrangement D)	heavy shunting and hump-yard duties
93	three plus carrying axles	branch-line and local freight duties
94	five (wheel arrangement E)	heavy loads, ramps and hump yards
95	five plus carrying axles	steep gradients and heavy main-line duties

This system also explains why you’ll find lighter machines at Class 88 and noticeably heavier ones at Class 94. The standard-design shunting locomotive of Class 80 also shows how the same task was later solved with a standardised new build.

Where you’ll find an 89 today – and how to track one down

Small three-coupled tank engines are well represented among preserved German steam locomotives, because they’re manageable, comparatively cheap to maintain and ideal for short heritage lines. Even so, there’s no timetable you can simply check. Here’s how to go about it:

• The operating society first. Whoever looks after a locomotive publishes its running days. Everything else is copied and goes out of date faster.
• Event calendars for heritage railways. Season openers, museum festivals and special weekends bring together almost all appearances. The guide to heritage railways and special trains explains how to search these calendars specifically.
• Community reports and short-notice updates. Workshop test runs, transfer moves and stand-in workings only ever show up there.
• A look back at previous years. Heritage operations often repeat their dates on the same cycle. A look at last season is the best forecast for the next one.

It’s no coincidence that exactly this size class has survived so well. Small three-coupled tank engines were passed on for decades to industrial, harbour and private railways, where they were still working long after steam operation had ended at the state railway. From these fleets, many machines later went straight into society hands – often with markedly fewer operating hours and in better condition than comparable main-line locomotives. For research this means: the history of a preserved 89 often runs via an industrial operation rather than a locomotive depot, and that’s exactly where the sources lie too.

Photo tips for small shunting steam locomotives

An 89 is more rewarding to photograph than its size suggests – precisely because it’s so compact. Three things make the difference:

A low viewpoint. At wheel height the machine looks more substantial and the rod gear comes into its own. From adult eye level, a small tank engine can quickly look like a toy.

Watch the rod position. In static shots, the position of the connecting and coupling rods decides whether the image looks lively. Wait for the moment when the rods aren’t lined up out of sight.

Steam needs backlighting. Exhaust steam and smoke only take on form against the light. In front lighting, both stay a flat grey haze. The technical basics for this are covered in the guide to steam train photography.

And the framework all this happens within: on museum and society premises the owner’s house rules apply, barriers are binding, and track areas are off-limits. Even a stationary locomotive can be shunted at any moment.

Common mix-ups

Conclusion

Class 89 is the classic small shunting steam locomotive of the German numbering system: three coupled axles, no tender, short wheelbase, low speed. Once you’ve recognised this combination, you’ll place it correctly everywhere. It no longer exists in regular service, but this size class in particular has seen comparatively much substance survive in society hands – something you can plan around via operators and event calendars, not the timetable.