Key takeaways
- The carrying axle is the core feature: it sets the 91 apart from the pure coupled-wheel locomotives of Class 89.
- Reading the wheel arrangement: digits denote carrying axles, capital letters denote coupled driving axles – 1'C means a carrying axle at the front, three coupled axles behind it.
- The purpose of the carrying axle: a smoother ride, a higher permitted speed, cleaner running through curves.
- A collective number, not a standard design: under 91 the DRG grouped state-railway machines, not a new construction.
- No longer in regular service: whatever exists, exists as a historic vehicle in museum and society hands.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Steam locomotive, tender type, for local freight, transfer and branch-line duties |
|---|---|
| Number band | 80 to 96 – tender locomotives for freight and shunting duties |
| Origin | DRG collective number for inherited state-railway tender locomotives, mostly of Prussian origin |
| Design feature | Coupled driving axles supplemented by one carrying axle |
| Status | No longer in regular service – historic stock, a museum and archive subject |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Tender locomotive with side water tanks – no separate tender attached
- Alongside the coupled driving axles, a noticeably smaller, free carrying axle not linked into the rods
- Vehicle number starts with 91, followed by the running number with its sub-class block
- Medium-sized wheels – faster than a pure shunting locomotive, slower than a main-line machine
- Riveted boiler and a tightly cut cab as typical state-railway features
Updated: August 2026 – A small, free-standing axle in front of the large driving wheels: it’s exactly this detail that sets Class 91 apart from the pure shunting locomotives in the same number band. This page explains what carrying axles do, how to read wheel arrangements correctly, and how to place historic tender locomotives even without relying on legible markings.
Noted the wheel arrangement? Log the sighting.
Design, wheel arrangement and number belong together – with Traintrack it all lands in one entry.
What is Class 91?
Class 91 is a number group of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft for tender locomotives from the 80 to 96 band – the range the DRG reserved for tender locomotives in freight and shunting duties. Grouped under it were machines inherited from the former state railways, mostly of Prussian origin and from the T series there, in which tender locomotives were listed.
The key design feature compared with the pure coupled-wheel locomotives of Class 89 is the extra carrying axle. It turns a pure shunting machine into a vehicle that can also be used sensibly on the main line: for transfer runs, local freight trains and branch-line duties.
There’s been no regular service for decades. Vehicles of this generation are historic objects in museum, society and archive collections.
Why a carrying axle changes everything
Carrying axles are the most unassuming and yet most informative detail on a steam locomotive. They aren’t driven and aren’t linked into the coupling rods – their job is a different one.
Bearing weight
A carrying axle takes up load without needing another driving axle for it. That keeps the axle load within what branch-line track can bear.
Guiding into curves
Mounted so it can swivel, it steers the machine cleanly into curves. That reduces flange wear and side forces – shown by the apostrophe in the wheel arrangement.
Allowing speed
With a carrying axle, the locomotive runs noticeably more smoothly at higher speed. That's exactly why main-line locomotives are almost always built with one, and pure shunting locomotives almost always without.
Note the direction
If the carrying axle sits at the front, it's called 1'C; at the rear, C1'. For tender locomotives running in both directions, this is a deliberate design decision.
If you want to fix the general identification sequence in your mind, the guide to identifying classes helps – it works for steam locomotives just as well as for modern traction units.
Reading wheel arrangements: the full system
The wheel arrangement is a steam locomotive’s profile in a few characters. It tells you how many axles are driven, where carrying axles sit, and whether they can swivel.
| Notation | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| C | three coupled axles, no carrying axles | shunting duty, tight curves, low speed |
| 1’C | carrying axle at front, three coupled axles | branch-line and transfer duty |
| C1’ | three coupled axles, carrying axle at rear | local freight and branch-line duties |
| 1’C1’ | carrying axle, three coupled axles, carrying axle | branch lines in both directions |
| D | four coupled axles | heavy shunting and hump-yard duty |
| 1’E1’ | carrying axle, five coupled axles, carrying axle | heavy main-line loads, steep ramps |
This system runs through the whole band: the more coupled axles, the higher the tractive effort; the more carrying axles, the higher the possible speed. You can see how this looks in a symmetrical design at Class 93; a pure example from Prussian times is the Prussian T 12.
Keep track of steam locomotives on the move
Community reports show you which historic machines are being moved right now – often the only clue you'll get.
Where you’ll find historic tender locomotives today
There’s no timetable for museum steam. What there are, are reliable research routes – and they work the same way for every historic class:
- The operating society is the primary source. Whoever maintains a machine publishes its running days and knows whether it’s fit for service within its certification.
- Event calendars for heritage railways bring together season openers, museum festivals and special weekends. The guide to heritage railways and special trains shows how to search them specifically.
- Community reports capture transfer moves to the Dampflokwerk Meiningen, workshop test runs and short-notice stand-in workings that appear in no calendar.
- Last season as a forecast: heritage operations often repeat their dates on the same cycle.
A second route runs via the lines rather than the vehicles. Heritage railways such as the Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz almost always run former branch lines – exactly the setting tender locomotives with a carrying axle were once built for. Anyone searching a region for closed or heritage-operated branch lines will, through that, find the operations where such machines can actually be put to sensible use at all. That’s far more effective than searching an entire country for one particular class, and it delivers photo spots that suit the vehicle along the way: small stations, loading roads, cuttings and curves rather than broad main-line approaches.
Announced doesn't mean it ran
Which locomotive actually ends up in front of a special train is sometimes decided the day before. Certificate deadlines, staff and technical condition take priority. Check the current status directly with the operator before planning a long journey – and expect a change of vehicle.
Photo tips for tender locomotives with a carrying axle
The photographic challenge with tender locomotives is their compactness: from normal eye level they quickly look small and unspectacular. Three corrections help reliably.
A low viewpoint. At wheel-centre height the machine gains mass, and the running gear with coupling rods and carrying axle becomes legible – exactly the detail this class is about.
Keep the running gear clear. Make sure platform edges, tufts of grass or kerbs don’t hide the axles. If the wheel arrangement can’t be counted in the shot, the image loses its documentary value.
Steam against the light. Exhaust steam only takes on form in backlighting. In front lighting it stays a grey plume with no structure. The full technique for this is in the guide to steam train photography.
The framework stays clear throughout: on museum and society premises the owner’s house rules apply, barriers are binding, tracks and operational installations are off-limits. Even a resting locomotive can be shunted at any moment.
Common mix-ups
It points to the 91 if …
- the locomotive is a tender type with no separate tender
- a smaller, free carrying axle sits alongside the coupled axles
- the wheels are medium-sized – neither shunting nor express size
- the vehicle number begins with 91
Look more closely if …
- superstructure or casings hide the carrying axle
- the locomotive is running in museum or private-railway livery
- you can only see one end of the vehicle
It's not a 91 if …
- a separate tender is attached
- there's no carrying axle at all – you're more likely looking at Class 89
- four or five coupled axles can be counted
Conclusion
Class 91 shows nicely how much information sits in a wheel arrangement. Three coupled axles plus one carrying axle mean: no longer a pure shunting locomotive, but not a fast main-line machine either – rather, the workhorse for transfer runs and branch lines. Once you’ve recognised this pattern, you can roughly place any historic tender locomotive within seconds. Today you’ll only encounter such machines in museum and society operation, and that’s the framework within which to plan for and photograph them.
In short
Tender locomotive, coupled driving axles plus one smaller carrying axle, number starting with 91: that's the classification. No longer in regular service – something you can only plan around via societies, heritage operations and event calendars.
Collect museum steam systematically
Log every encounter with number, date and location – and see at a glance which machines you're still missing.
Summary
- Class 91 belongs to the tender locomotives in the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft's freight and shunting band.
- Its most striking feature is the extra carrying axle alongside the coupled driving axles.
- The wheel arrangement tells you directly what the machine was built for and how fast it was allowed to run.
- These vehicles no longer exist in regular service – engaging with them now runs through museums, societies and archives.
Frequently asked questions
What is Class 91?
Class 91 is a number group of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft for tender locomotives in freight, transfer and branch-line duties. Its characteristic feature is the combination of coupled driving axles and an extra carrying axle. Machines from the state-railway fleets, mostly of Prussian origin, were grouped under it.
What does a wheel arrangement like 1'C mean?
It describes the layout of the running gear from front to back. The digit 1 stands for a carrying axle, the C for three coupled driving axles. The apostrophe indicates that the axle is mounted so it can swivel. So 1'C means: a swivelling carrying axle at the front, followed by three coupled axles. With C1' the carrying axle sits at the rear.
Why does a locomotive even need carrying axles?
They bear weight without being driven, and guide the machine into curves. This markedly improves the ride and allows higher permitted speeds. A locomotive without carrying axles is more nimble and cheaper, but rides less smoothly at speed – which is why pure coupled-wheel locomotives mostly stayed confined to shunting duty.
How do I tell a carrying axle from a driving axle?
By two things: carrying axles have smaller wheels and are not linked into the coupling rods. The large wheels connected to each other by horizontal rods are the coupled driving axles. The difference is clearly visible even from some distance and is the fastest route to the wheel arrangement.
What were machines of this group used for?
For tasks between shunting and main-line work: transfer runs, local freight trains, branch-line duties and suburban services. The carrying axle made them faster than pure shunting locomotives, and the tender design allowed operation in both directions without running round – exactly the combination needed on branch lines.
Is Class 91 still running today?
No. Scheduled steam operation in Germany ended decades ago, and machines from the early Reichsbahn fleets had largely been withdrawn long before that. Surviving vehicles of this generation stand in museums, depots and society collections; workings are one-off appearances at events.
Why are different designs grouped under one number?
Because from the mid-1920s the DRG had to bring the fleets of several railway administrations into one shared scheme. Machines with a similar task and wheel arrangement ended up under the same class number, even when they differed technically. The sub-classes and running-number blocks split these groups apart again.
How do I find dates when historic steam locomotives are running?
Through the operating societies and through event calendars for heritage railways. Only the operator reliably knows whether a particular machine is fit for service – boiler certificate deadlines and workshop stays change plans at short notice. Community reports add anything that's moved spontaneously.
Log your sighting of the Class 91
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Class 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 89
Class 89 covers three-coupled tender locomotives built for shunting duties. Here's how to recognise them – and where you can still find them today.
Steam/specialPrussian T 12
The Prussian T 12 is the superheated variant of the suburban tank locomotives with 2'C wheel arrangement. On the Reichsbahn it ran as Class 74 with high running numbers.
Steam/specialAlstom 203 701
The 203 701 belongs to the modernised V 100 diesel locomotives from Alstom's Stendal works: centre cab, four axles, service with private operators and on engineering trains.
Steam/specialAlstom Coradia iLINT
The Coradia iLINT was the world's first hydrogen multiple unit in passenger service. Two-car, 140 km/h, a fuel cell instead of a diesel engine – and almost a LINT on the outside.
Steam/specialAlstom Prima H3
The Prima H3 is a three-axle hybrid shunting locomotive from Alstom's Stendal plant: battery plus diesel generator, compact body, running as Class 1002 at DB.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Dampflokwerk Meiningen
In Meiningen stands the works that operational steam in Germany depends on. Here complete steam locomotive boilers are built from scratch, here major overhauls are carried out – and here it's decided which historic machine will still be under steam in the years ahead.
Heritage railwayDampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz
Between Ebermannstadt and Behringersmühle, a society runs the surviving section of the Wiesenttalbahn as a heritage railway. Standard gauge, steam and diesel locomotive operation, a manageable seasonal timetable – and a line that runs slowly enough for photographers to catch the same train twice.
Related guides from the blog
- Identifying Train Classes: How to Recognise Any Locomotive or Multiple Unit
- Drehscheibe Online & heritage railways explained: finding special-working dates, top heritage railways and photo tips
- How Do You Photograph Steam Trains? The Ultimate Guide to Steam Train Photography (Equipment, Settings, Light, Spots)
