Key takeaways
- Class 714 is no ordinary shunter: it moves DB's tunnel auxiliary and rescue trains and stands ready most of the time.
- Technically it comes from the V 100 family – four axles in two bogies, centre cab, diesel-hydraulic drive.
- Typical arrangement: one locomotive at each end of the train formation, so the train can depart in either direction at once.
- Type code 98 classifies it in the number system as a shunting and small locomotive, not a main-line locomotive.
- Sightings are down to luck: there are no scheduled runs, and locations are operational railway land.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive for auxiliary and rescue trains |
|---|---|
| Origin | Conversion from the Deutsche Bundesbahn's V 100 family |
| Wheel arrangement | B'B' – two two-axle bogies |
| Layout | Centre cab between a long and a short bonnet |
| Purpose | Moving tunnel auxiliary and rescue trains, no scheduled train service |
| Train formation | usually marshalled at both ends of a rescue train |
| UIC type code | 98 – diesel shunting and small locomotive |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Four axles in two bogies, centre cab between two bonnets
- Running number begins with 714
- Permanently coupled to a rescue train coach set, usually one locomotive at each end
- Stabled at tunnel sites and holding sidings, not in regular train service
- Distinctive warning and signal livery of the rescue train concept
- Twelve-digit number begins with 98 80
Updated: August 2026 – A locomotive that hardly ever runs, has no timetable and yet stands ready around the clock: the Class 714 moves Deutsche Bahn’s tunnel auxiliary and rescue trains. This page shows you how to recognise it, why it’s classed as a shunting locomotive in the number system, and how a sighting realistically comes about.
Spotted a special vehicle? Note the context.
For vehicles without a timetable, the situation is part of the information. Traintrack lets you log both.
What is the DB Class 714?
Class 714 consists of converted four-axle diesel locomotives from the V 100 family that were prepared for operating the tunnel auxiliary and rescue trains of Deutsche Bahn AG. Technically, you’ll spot the origin at once: two two-axle bogies, a cab in the middle of the vehicle and two bonnets of different lengths – the same basic shape as the Baureihe 298 (V 100).
The difference isn’t in the technology but in the task. A 714 doesn’t haul a freight train or a passenger train. It’s part of a fixed train formation that stands ready at a defined location and moves out when needed. That’s exactly why it carries the type code 98 for diesel shunting and small locomotives in the twelve-digit vehicle number, and not the 92 used by main-line locomotives: the classification follows the purpose.
How to recognise a 714 in the field
For this class, the bodyshell alone isn’t enough, because it’s identical to many other vehicles of the V 100 family. Context is the decisive feature.
Establish the basic shape
Four axles in two bogies, centre cab, one long and one short bonnet. That puts you in the V 100 family.
Look at the train formation
If a special, uniform coach set is attached behind the locomotive instead of freight or passenger stock, that's a strong indicator.
Watch for the second locomotive
Rescue trains usually carry a locomotive at each end. Two identical machines on one formation is unusual – and typical here.
Read the number
The running number begins with 714. Only that makes the identification certain; everything before it is probability.
How to report a sighting so that it stays traceable for others is explained in the guide to reporting sightings. The system behind the twelve-digit number is set out in the guide to the UIC number and its check digit.
For special vehicles, context is half the identification
For classes without scheduled duties, the surroundings tell you almost as much as the vehicle itself. So note down whether the locomotive was parked, shunting or standing in a formation.
Placing it: a vehicle without a timetable
Most classes can be tracked via diagrams. That doesn’t work for the 714, because its use can’t be planned. That changes the whole approach.
| Situation | Likelihood of a sighting | What to bear in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Holding siding at the site | permanently present, but hard to view | operational railway land, only visible from public ground |
| Exercise or emergency drill | rare and short-notice | no access, never hinder emergency crews |
| Transfer to the workshop | rare, unpredictable | can occur anywhere on the network |
| Open day / exhibition | plannable, but irregular | best opportunity for detailed shots |
| Regular freight or passenger service | practically excluded | would be a clear sign of a misidentification |
Because timetable data doesn’t help here, current community reports are the most useful tool. How to combine live information sensibly is shown in the guide to live sightings and real-time data.
Don't miss what runs without a timetable
Community reports are often the only advance warning there is for special vehicles.
Spotting, courtesy and the legal framework
For this vehicle group, the most important part of spotting isn’t the camera settings but your behaviour.
- Holding areas are operational railway land. There’s no lawful way to enter them. What you can see from outside is what you can photograph.
- Emergency and exercise situations are off-limits. When a rescue train moves out, it’s about people. Observation must never hinder emergency crews or draw their attention.
- Restraint with details. For vehicles involved in hazard response, it’s good form to keep sightings factual and avoid drawing conclusions about readiness states.
- Shunting moves happen without warning. Even a holding siding isn’t a blind spot. Vehicles move without a signal, in either direction.
Distance isn't negotiable
You may not enter operational railway land, holding sidings or private sidings. Shunting moves start without warning, are often propelled, and often without a clear view for the driver. Stay on public ground and keep a generous distance from all tracks.
The V 100 family and its many roles
Hardly any other German vehicle family has taken on as many different tasks as the four-axle diesel locomotives with a centre cab. Over the decades, the same basic design produced main-line locomotives, trip locomotives, shunters, engineering vehicles and, indeed, special vehicles like the rescue train locomotives. That makes the family especially instructive for spotters: the silhouette stays the same, the classification changes completely.
The consequence for identification is clear. Bodyshell and class are not the same thing in this family. Anyone going by looks alone will reliably land in the right family and just as reliably at the wrong class. The route to certainty always runs via the number – and specifically via both parts of it: the three-digit running number for the class, and the first two digits of the twelve-digit number for the classification.
Related roles of the same basic design can be compared directly: the LEW V 100 describes the origin of the eastern build line, while the Baureihe 294 shows how four-axle diesel locomotives are classified in trip working. Taken together, these three pages show the principle: the same technology, three different operational answers – and three different numbers that reflect exactly that. For documentation, that means: always note the full number, not just “V 100”.
Common mix-ups
It's a 714 when …
- the bodyshell matches the V 100 family
- a special coach set is attached instead of a freight or passenger train
- an identical locomotive stands at each end of the formation
- the number begins with 714
Look more closely when …
- a V 100 bodyshell is parked alone without a formation
- you can't see the whole train
- the livery looks unfamiliar – concepts have been adapted over the years
It's not a 714 when …
- the locomotive hauls a normal freight or passenger train
- you count only three axles with coupling rods
- the running number begins with a different figure
A final note on classification: special vehicles are converted more often over their working life than series-built ones, because requirements for equipment and fittings change. Details such as superstructures, fittings, headlights or extra equipment can therefore differ between individual machines without changing the classification. Take such differences as a feature for telling individual vehicles apart, not as an argument against the class assignment – and log them in your sighting so you can compare later.
Verdict
Class 714 is a borderline case in vehicle identification: technically a familiar design, operationally something completely different. Anyone going by silhouette alone lands in the V 100 family and isn’t wrong – but isn’t quite right either. Only the train formation and the number turn a guess into a certain identification. And because there’s no timetable, every clean sighting of this class is a genuine find.
In short
V 100 bodyshell plus a special coach set plus number 714 – that's how the identification comes together. Type code 98 shows that purpose decides the classification here, not the size of the machine.
Preserve rare sightings for good
Number, location, date and situation captured together – so a chance find stays traceable later.
Summary
- Class 714 belongs to the vehicles you only know about if you know what to look for – a standby vehicle without a timetable.
- Its bodyshell gives away its V 100 origins at once; only the train formation behind it reveals its task.
- Its classification as a shunting and small locomotive in the twelve-digit number reflects its use, not its size.
- Observation is only possible from publicly accessible ground; holding sidings are operational railway land.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DB Class 714?
Class 714 are converted four-axle diesel locomotives from the V 100 family that move Deutsche Bahn's tunnel auxiliary and rescue trains. They stand ready at defined locations and are deployed in an emergency or during exercises. Unlike other classes, they have no scheduled train service.
Why are two locomotives attached to a rescue train?
Because a rescue train must be able to depart in either direction at once. A locomotive at each end avoids run-round moves and makes the train independent of which direction an incident site must be reached from. For you as an observer, that's a reliable recognition feature: a 714 practically never runs alone through the landscape.
How do I recognise a 714 at first glance?
By the combination of bodyshell and train formation. The locomotive shows the typical V 100 silhouette: four axles in two bogies, cab in the middle, two bonnets of different lengths. But behind it there's no freight or passenger train, just a special coach set. The number begins with 714.
What does type code 98 mean for this class?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number give the vehicle type. The 98 stands for diesel shunting and small locomotives, the 92 for diesel main-line locomotives. A 714 doesn't work train services across the network but moves a fixed formation – so the classification follows the purpose, not the bodyshell.
Where do Class 714 vehicles stand?
On holding sidings near longer tunnels and major new-build lines. The exact locations are set operationally and can change. All these areas are operational railway land and closed to the public – you can only observe from outside, for example from public paths or bridges.
Can I photograph a 714 on a scheduled basis?
Not on a scheduled basis. There's no timetable to go by. Realistic opportunities are transfer and workshop runs plus public exercises and open days. Community sightings are far more useful here than any static list.
What colour are Class 714 locomotives?
The vehicles follow the design of the relevant rescue train concept, which has been adapted over the years. Don't rely on colour for identification, then – go by bodyshell, train formation and number instead. That applies even more to special vehicles than to ordinary classes.
How do I document a sighting of this class properly?
Note the full vehicle number, date, time and location, and record whether the locomotive stood alone or in formation. Especially for vehicles without a timetable, context is part of the information. A photo of the data panel makes the sighting verifiable later.
Log your sighting of the DB Class 714
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
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