Key takeaways
- The E 63 is a pure shunting locomotive under overhead line: three axles, rigid frame, short body, one cab.
- Fastest route to identification: three axles with no carrying axle plus a pantograph – the E 60 has one axle more, the E 69 two fewer.
- Type code 97 classifies it as an electric shunting locomotive, separating it from main-line electric locomotives with code 91.
- The E 63 became the 163 – the same machine, only after renumbering to three-digit class numbers.
- Electric shunting locomotives remained the exception, because shunting areas are rarely electrified throughout.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric shunting locomotive |
|---|---|
| Type code (UIC) | 97 – electric shunting or engineering locomotive |
| Wheel arrangement | Three axles in a rigid frame (C), no bogies |
| Electrification system | 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC (overhead line) |
| Origin | Procured by the Deutsche Reichsbahn for shunting duty under overhead line |
| Later designation | Class 163 after renumbering to three-digit class numbers |
| Typical task | Shunting and transfer duty at electrified stations |
| Current status | Preserved – no longer in regular service |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Three axles in a rigid frame – no bogies, no carrying axle
- Short, box-shaped body with a single cab
- Pantograph on the roof combined with a pronounced shunting-locomotive silhouette
- Running boards and shunter's steps around the body
- Vehicle number begins with E 63 or 163
- Found today only in museums, collections or at special events
Updated: August 2026 – Shunting locomotives are known as diesel machines with a long bonnet. That electric shunting locomotives existed too surprises many people – and that’s exactly why the Class E 63 regularly causes puzzled looks on museum visits. This page shows you how to recognise it, why the type stayed so rare, and what type code 97 has to do with it.
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What is Class E 63?
Class E 63 is a three-axle electric shunting locomotive of the Deutsche Reichsbahn with wheel arrangement C. All three axles sit in a rigid frame; there are no bogies. The class was procured for shunting and transfer duty at already-electrified stations – that is, for tasks where starting tractive effort and good visibility mattered, not speed.
After the switch to three-digit class numbers it ran as Class 163. Both designations refer to the same vehicle. Today the E 63 is preserved; it no longer runs scheduled workings.
Why type code 97 gives the decisive classification
The twelve-digit UIC vehicle number begins with two digits that describe the type. Four values are relevant for locomotives:
| Type code | Vehicle type | Typical usage profile |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Electric main-line locomotive | Passenger and freight trains on the main line |
| 92 | Diesel main-line locomotive | Main-line and freight service without overhead line |
| 97 | Electric shunting or engineering locomotive | Shunting and transfer under overhead line |
| 98 | Diesel shunting and small locomotive | Shunting, transfers, works and connecting railways |
The E 63 carries 97 because it was never a main-line locomotive. That puts it in the same group as the Class E 60, though it differs from it in lacking the carrying axle. How the full number is structured – from the type digit to the check digit – is explained in the guide to reading the UIC number.
How to identify an E 63 in three steps
Check the pantograph
A pantograph on the roof rules out every diesel shunting locomotive. That already puts you in the very small group of electric shunting locomotives.
Count the axles
Three equally sized axles in a rigid frame, no smaller carrying axle, no bogies. Four axles with one smaller one point to the E 60, two axles to the E 69.
Read the body and marking
Short box-shaped body, one cab, running boards with shunter's steps. The marking E 63 or 163 confirms the identification for good.
Anyone who internalises this order – drive type, axle count, body, marking – identifies unfamiliar vehicles reliably too. The guide to identifying locomotive classes describes this approach in detail. Incidentally, the most common misidentification is the tiny Class E 69 from the Murnau–Oberammergau branch line: also small, also electric, but only two-axle.
Why electric shunting locomotives stayed rare
The E 63 is technically sound but ended up in an operational dead end – and that explains why so few vehicles of this type exist. Shunting areas are almost never electrified throughout: hump yards, loading roads, workshop approaches, connecting tracks and many secondary tracks manage without overhead line, often for safety reasons. A locomotive that depends on overhead line simply can’t work there.
Diesel shunting locomotives don’t have this limitation. That’s why the diesel-hydraulic type has become established in German shunting service, as represented by the Class 290 and the V 60 family. Electric shunting locomotives remained special cases for stations that had enough electrified track available.
Rule of thumb for practice
A pantograph plus a shunting silhouette is always a special case. Where you see that, a second look at the markings is worthwhile – such vehicles are rare and usually well documented.
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Spotting and photography: where the E 63 is realistically found
Scheduled service is out. Anyone wanting to see an E 63 plans around museums, collections and event dates. A special case here is the Trossinger Eisenbahn: under four kilometres long, electric since its beginnings, and so one of the few heritage operations where historic electric locomotives can actually run under overhead line at all. That has an advantage: museum vehicles stand still, are accessible, and can be photographed at leisure.
- Choose a side view. The three-axle arrangement in a rigid frame is the key feature and only clearly visible from the side.
- Get low. Shunting locomotives are built low. A viewpoint at around buffer height stops the locomotive looking squat and flat.
- Take in the details. Number plate, builder’s plate and data panel are often more informative for preserved vehicles than the wide shot.
- Plan for the light in halls. Museum halls are darker than the eye believes. A higher ISO is usually the better choice over too long a hand-held shutter speed.
Operational railway land stays off limits
Marshalling yards, stabling groups and depots are operational and private railway land. Vehicles there are moved without warning, even apparently stationary wagon groups. Photography is only from publicly accessible areas – the rules are summarised in the article on safety distances at the track.
Anyone still wanting to observe shunting operations specifically will find legal locations and practical time-of-day tips in the guide to spotting at a marshalling yard.
What the rigid frame means for operation
Wheel arrangement C isn’t just a letter combination but an operational decision with consequences. Three axles in a rigid frame mean: short wheelbase, high axle load, good starting behaviour. That’s exactly what a shunting locomotive needs to set heavy wagon groups in motion from a standstill.
The price for that is main-line suitability. A rigid frame with three coupled axles runs worse through tight curves than a bogie vehicle and can’t tolerate high speeds. That doesn’t matter for shunting in a station – everything runs slowly there anyway. For main-line workings the design would be unsuitable, and that’s exactly why the vehicle number shows a 97 and not a 91.
This logic transfers to many shunting vehicles. If you see an unfamiliar locomotive and wonder whether it’s a main-line or a shunting machine, a look at the running gear helps: axles in a rigid frame with a short wheelbase point to shunting, bogies with a larger axle spacing to main-line service. With diesel shunting locomotives like the Class 294 you find the same thinking again, only with bogies and a two-speed gearbox that separates the shunting and main-line ranges.
Common mix-ups
It points to the E 63 if …
- the locomotive has three axles in a rigid frame
- a pantograph sits on the roof
- the body is short and carries only one cab
- the marking reads E 63 or 163
Look more closely if …
- a fourth, smaller axle sits at one end of the vehicle – that points to the E 60
- the locomotive is strikingly small and only two-axle – then the E 69 comes into question
- markings are missing or the vehicle stands in a re-created livery
It isn't an E 63 if …
- no pantograph is present – then it's a diesel shunting locomotive with type code 98
- the axles run in bogies
- the locomotive has two cabs or two long bonnets
Verdict
The E 63 is a vehicle that makes an operational idea visible: shunting under overhead line. Three axles, rigid frame, short body, one cab – and above it a pantograph that stayed the exception in shunting service. That very combination makes it easy to identify, once you know it exists at all. Type code 97 provides the confirmation from the vehicle number.
Verdict in brief
Three axles, rigid frame, one cab, pantograph: that's the E 63. Today it's sought in museums, not the timetable – and anyone who sees it should note the number, location and date, because something shifts constantly in the preserved fleet.
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Summary
- The E 63 belongs to the small group of electric shunting locomotives procured for transfer and shunting work at electrified stations.
- Its identifying feature is wheel arrangement C: three axles in a rigid frame, with no extra carrying axle and no bogies.
- Because shunting areas and connecting tracks mostly manage without overhead line, this vehicle type never became widespread in shunting service.
- Sightings today are museum sightings; location, owner and operational status change and should be checked before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
How do I recognise a Class E 63?
By three axles in a rigid frame combined with a pantograph. The body is short and box-shaped, there's only one cab, and running boards with shunter's steps run all around. The absence of an extra carrying axle rules out confusion with the E 60.
What does wheel arrangement C mean?
The letter C stands for three driving axles coupled together in the same frame. There are no carrying axles and no bogies. This design is typical of shunting locomotives: short wheelbase, high axle load, good starting tractive effort – and little suitability for high speeds.
Why were there so few electric shunting locomotives?
Because shunting areas are rarely electrified throughout. Hump yards, connecting tracks, loading roads and workshop approaches usually manage without overhead line, not least for safety reasons. A locomotive that can only work under overhead line isn't universally usable there. Diesel shunting locomotives don't have this restriction.
What does type code 97 mean for the E 63?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number give the type. 97 stands for electric shunting and engineering locomotives. Main-line electric locomotives carry 91, diesel shunting locomotives 98. The code is thus a quick pointer to the intended use, even before you know the class.
Is Class 163 the same as the E 63?
Yes. With the switch to three-digit class numbers, the E 63 became Class 163. Older sources and vehicle markings use the E-designation. For a clean sighting, it's best to note the number actually marked on the vehicle.
Is the E 63 still in service anywhere?
Not in regular service. The class is preserved; surviving machines stand with museums and collections. Whether a particular locomotive is currently on display, stored or operational keeps changing – the museums themselves give current information.
What's the difference between the E 63 and the E 69?
Mainly size. The E 69 is a very small two-axle branch-line electric locomotive, while the E 63 is a three-axle shunting machine with a noticeably more solid body. Count the axles and you have the answer in seconds.
Am I allowed to photograph in a shunting area if a classic-era electric locomotive is standing there?
Only from publicly accessible areas. Marshalling yards, depots and stabling groups are operational railway land and not a photo location. Vehicles there are moved without announcement, and even stationary wagon groups can suddenly start moving. Museums offer the safe and legal route to the subject.
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Related classes
Class E 60
The E 60 was the Reichsbahn's electric shunting and transfer locomotive: three coupled axles, rod drive, short body. Today it's part of a museum collection.
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The E 77 belongs to the Reichsbahn's first generation of electric locomotives: articulated chassis, rod drive, carrying axles on the outside. Today it survives only in museums.
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