Key takeaways
- The V 65 is a four-axle rod locomotive in a rigid frame – the rarer, more powerful sister of the three-axle shunting locomotives.
- The 65 in the name is the maximum speed in km/h, not the output. That applies to all the Bundesbahn's new-build diesel locomotives.
- Fastest way to identify it: count four axles, check that bogies are absent and that coupling rods are present.
- Type code 98 marks the vehicle as a shunting and light locomotive, as opposed to 92 for main-line locomotives.
- A museum-vehicle subject today: plan sightings around events, not regular services.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive for heavy shunting and branch-line service |
|---|---|
| Wheel arrangement | D – four coupled axles in a rigid frame, driven via jackshaft and coupling rods |
| Naming logic | V for internal combustion engine, 65 for the maximum speed in km/h |
| Manufacturer | Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) |
| Later class number | 265 |
| UIC type code | 98 – diesel shunting and light locomotive |
| Special feature | very small series, making it an unusually rare vehicle today |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Four coupled axles in a rigid frame – no bogies, but visible coupling rods
- Cab at one end of the vehicle, with a continuous long bonnet in front of it
- Jackshaft under the bonnet, where the rods attach
- Noticeably longer wheelbase than the usual three-axle shunting locomotives
- Running number V 65 or, later, 265
- Twelve-digit number begins with 98 80 – classified as a shunting locomotive
Updated: August 2026 – Four axles, but no bogies, instead long coupling rods on a rigid frame: the V 65 is one of the rarest diesel types of the Bundesbahn, and exactly for that reason interesting to spotters. This page shows you how to identify it, what its designation really means, and how to plan a sighting realistically.
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What is the Class V 65?
The V 65 is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built by Maschinenbau Kiel for the Deutsche Bundesbahn. The Kiel locomotive works later traded as Vossloh and went on building diesel locomotives there for decades. Its special feature is in the running gear: all four axles sit fixed in the frame and are driven together via a jackshaft and external coupling rods. There are no bogies. Later the type ran under the class number 265.
The name follows the Bundesbahn’s system: V stands for internal combustion engine, the number for the maximum speed in km/h. A V 65 is thus rated for 65 km/h – just above the Class V 60 and far below every main-line class. This assignment also explains why it’s run in the numbering system as a shunting and light locomotive with type code 98, and not as a main-line locomotive with the 92.
How to identify a four-axle rod locomotive
The difference between a rod locomotive and a bogie locomotive is one of the few features that also works in poor light and at great distance. Work through it in this order.
Count the axles
Four axles immediately rule out the classic three-axle shunting locomotives. Count from the side, not at an angle from the front.
Look for bogies
Do the axles sit in movable frames under the vehicle, or directly in the main frame? Only the latter fits the V 65.
Check for rods
Horizontal struts between the wheels mean mechanical power transmission to all axles. If they're missing, it's a different type.
Locate the cab
On the V 65 it sits at one end, with a continuous long bonnet in front of it. A centre cab points elsewhere.
If you want to practise this approach systematically, the guide to identifying locomotive classes helps; the numbering logic behind it is explained in the guide to the UIC number and its check digit.
Wheelbase as an extra clue
Four axles sitting fixed in the frame give a very long rigid wheelbase. Such vehicles look noticeably "stretched" on the track and can negotiate tight curves less well – one reason this body style was never as widespread as the three-axle version.
Placing it: what a heavy shunting locomotive achieves operationally
The body style is no accident, but an answer to a specific task. Four coupled axles bring the whole vehicle weight to bear as adhesive weight on the rail – exactly what’s needed when starting heavy groups of wagons. The price is the long rigid wheelbase and the low maximum speed.
| Criterion | Four-axle rod locomotive | Three-axle shunting locomotive | Four-axle bogie locomotive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive weight | very high | high | high |
| Curve performance | limited | good | very good |
| Maximum speed | low | low | medium to high |
| Typical use | heavy shunting and branch-line service | shunting and transfer service | transfer and main-line service |
| Type code in the number | 98 | 98 | 92 or 98 depending on classification |
Anyone looking for the comparison with build types from other manufacturers will find, with the MaK 650 C, a three-axle industrial locomotive from the same works, and with the WR 360 C 14, the older generation of the rod-driven shunting locomotive.
Don't miss rare types
Community sightings show you when unusual vehicles turn up somewhere – in good time, not after the fact.
Planning a sighting and photographing it properly
With a small series, chance is not a strategy. Plan instead of hoping – and be ready when the opportunity comes.
- Events beat waiting at the lineside. Heritage-railway dates, station festivals and vehicle exhibitions are the most realistic opportunities for rare veteran diesel locomotives.
- A side view is essential. With a rod locomotive, the running gear is the real information. A pure front shot wastes the subject.
- Watch the rod position. If the coupling rod sits exactly horizontal in front of the wheel centre, it visually disappears. A few centimetres of movement make the picture noticeably better.
- Photograph the data panel separately. Number, keeper and inspection dates sit on the side wall and make the sighting verifiable.
- Include the setting. Especially with museum vehicles, the surroundings – engine shed, turntable, old track layouts – tell half the story.
The basic technique for sharp shots of moving vehicles is in the guide good photos of trains.
Even slow vehicles are dangerous
A shunting locomotive moves slowly, but it doesn't brake quickly and is often pushed. On museum, works and siding railways, the house rules and staff instructions apply without exception. You don't enter track areas – not even when nothing appears to be moving.
Why small series disappear so quickly
The V 65 is a lesson in the economics of vehicle procurement. A class with hundreds of machines justifies its own spare-parts stores, trained workshop staff and adapted inspection procedures. A series of a handful of vehicles does not. If a component fails, there’s no stock; if nobody in the workshop knows the type, every repair takes longer. That’s why small series usually disappear earlier than large classes, even though they’re often technically in perfectly good order.
For spotters, that has two practical consequences:
- Historic photos are scarce. What was rare in the 1960s and 1970s was also rarely photographed. Every cleanly dated shot is therefore valuable.
- Surviving examples take centre stage. Wherever a small series has survived, it’s almost always thanks to a society or museum – with correspondingly plannable opportunities at events.
You can observe the same pattern with many industrial-locomotive types: manufacturer types built in small numbers are harder to document today than the state railway’s large series. If you come across such a machine, the extra effort is worth it: running gear, data panel and – on industrial vehicles – the builder’s plate. How to find such details again later, instead of losing them in an unsorted folder of pictures, is shown in the article on building a photo archive for spotters.
Common mix-ups
It points to a V 65 if …
- you count four axles without bogies
- external coupling rods connect all the axles
- the cab sits at one end with a long bonnet in front of it
- the number reads V 65 or 265
Look more closely if …
- you see four axles and rods, but the body style looks unfamiliar – industrial locomotives from other manufacturers use the same design idea
- the vehicle stands in a museum livery without a class number
- wagons hide the axles
It is not a V 65 if …
- you count three axles
- the axles sit in two bogies
- no coupling rods are present
- the cab sits in the middle between two bonnets
Verdict
The V 65 is a vehicle for people who look closely. Identifying it is actually easy – four axles, no bogie, rods – but exactly this combination is so rare that it hardly ever comes up in everyday spotting. Anyone who sees it should make full use of the opportunity: side view, running gear, data panel. With small series, one cleanly documented sighting is worth more than ten fleeting ones.
Quick verdict
Four coupled axles in a rigid frame with coupling rods – that's the V 65. The 65 stands for the maximum speed, the 98 in the vehicle number for its classification as a shunting locomotive.
Document rare vehicles completely
Number, place, date and photo together – so every sighting of a small series stays traceable for good.
Summary
- The V 65 belongs to the Bundesbahn's rare small series and, because of its low numbers, always remained a marginal type.
- Four coupled axles with rod drive in a rigid frame are its most striking and most reliable feature.
- The designation follows Bundesbahn logic: a letter for the drive type, a number for the maximum speed.
- Anyone wanting to photograph it plans around heritage railways and events rather than scheduled services.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Class V 65?
The V 65 is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, built by Maschinenbau Kiel. All four axles sit in a rigid frame and are driven together via a jackshaft and external coupling rods. Later it ran under the class number 265.
What does the 65 in V 65 stand for?
For the maximum speed in km/h. The Bundesbahn named its new-build diesel locomotives on this scheme: V for internal combustion engine, followed by the permitted speed. That's why the other classes are called V 60, V 80, V 100, V 160 and V 200 – the number says nothing about output.
How do I tell the V 65 apart from a V 60?
By counting axles. The V 60 has three coupled axles, the V 65 four. Both have a rigid frame and coupling rods, both carry the cab at one end. The V 65's wheelbase looks noticeably longer as a result. When in doubt, the number decides.
Is the V 65 the same as a V 100?
No. Both have four axles, but completely different running gear. On the V 65 the axles sit fixed in the frame and are connected by coupling rods. The V-100 family has two two-axle bogies without rods and a cab in the middle of the vehicle.
Why is the V 65 seen so rarely?
Because only a very small series was built. Small-series types are costly to maintain, because spare parts and workshop know-how are lacking – they therefore usually disappear from regular service earlier than large classes. Anyone wanting to see one orients themselves around heritage railways and special events.
What does the type code 98 mean?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number say what kind of traction vehicle it is. The 98 stands for diesel shunting and light locomotives, the 92 for diesel main-line locomotives. The classification follows the intended use, not the size – even a powerful four-axle machine can be run as a shunting locomotive.
How do I recognise a rod locomotive at a distance?
By the horizontal struts between the wheelsets, which visibly move along as the wheels turn. You can see from several hundred metres away whether a locomotive has rods or not. It's one of the most reliable long-range features there is, and instantly separates older shunting designs from modern bogie locomotives.
Am I allowed to photograph on heritage-railway grounds?
Only within the house rules and the staff's instructions. Heritage railway stations are operational land in private hands – at events some areas are opened up, others aren't. If in doubt, ask, keep your distance from live tracks, and expect unannounced shunting movements there too.
Log your sighting of the DB Class V 65
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Related classes
DB 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.
ShunterWR 360 C 14
The WR 360 C 14 is the classic three-axle Wehrmacht shunting locomotive that later became the V 36 and DB Class 236. Its type code reveals almost everything.
ShunterMaK 650 C
The MaK 650 C is a three-axle shunting locomotive with a rigid frame. Many machines in this group have been retrofitted for radio remote control – and it shows.
ShunterMaK G 1204 BB
The MaK G 1204 BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive. Its home is sidings, works and port railways – with their own rules for observers.
ShunterMaK G 1205 BB
The MaK G 1205 BB belongs to the 1200 series from Kiel. The final digit of the type number is the key: it separates successive design stages.
ShunterMaK G 1300 BB
The MaK G 1300 BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive. Understand its brake equipment, and you'll understand why shunting areas are so dangerous.
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