Key takeaways
- The 720 belongs to the family of measuring and survey vehicles and regularly runs in service together with Class 719.
- The formation is the unit: anyone noting only one vehicle only half-documents the sighting.
- Engineering runs don't appear in the timetable, because they're worked as needed and on free paths – so they never show up in journey planners.
- Type code 99 marks engineering and auxiliary vehicles; 98 would stand for shunters, 92 for diesel main-line locomotives.
- Formation, keeper and livery change – always note the date and time with a sighting.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Measuring and survey vehicle in engineering service |
|---|---|
| Task area | Condition recording of track, overhead line and line equipment |
| Train formation | regularly appears in service together with Class 719 vehicles |
| UIC type code | 99 – engineering or auxiliary vehicle |
| Operating pattern | measuring runs and transfers with no published timetable |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Short formation of two vehicles instead of a long rake
- Equipment fittings and sensor mounts instead of passenger fittings
- Marked class begins with 720, often paired with a 719
- Twelve-digit vehicle number with a leading 99
- Distinctive colour scheme with warning elements; the exact livery changes over the years
- Runs at unusual times and with no discernible regularity
Updated: August 2026 – Two unusual vehicles that pass through at an odd time, appear in no journey planner and turn up somewhere completely different next time: that’s the typical experience with the DB Class 720. This page explains why such runs are announced nowhere, how the formation with Class 719 fits together – and how to catch engineering vehicles anyway.
Seen an engineering run? Don't forget the time.
For runs like this, the time is often worth more than the photo – log it in Traintrack while it's fresh.
What is the DB Class 720?
Class 720 belongs to the measuring and survey vehicles on the German network. It’s therefore not a mode of transport but a tool: its task is recording the condition of track, overhead line and line equipment. In service it regularly appears together with vehicles of the DB Class 719.
The classification in the number system is clear: the twelve-digit vehicle number begins with 99, the UIC type code for engineering and auxiliary vehicles. Shunting and small locomotives carry a 98 there, diesel main-line locomotives a 92. So the code says something about the role in service – not about how a vehicle looks.
It pays to stay honest here: for the equipment, build year and fleet of individual vehicles of this class, there’s hardly any reliable public material. So this page carries no performance or unit-count figures, but what can be described with confidence – the operating pattern and the route to identification.
Train formation instead of a single vehicle
The most common mistake with engineering sightings is noting only the first vehicle. For measuring vehicles, though, the formation is the unit, not the individual vehicle.
Count all the vehicles
Note how many vehicles the unit consists of and in what order they run. That's the detail others will later use to tell whether it was the same run.
Record each number separately
Two vehicles, two full numbers. An incomplete note is hard to resolve later, because there's no public diagram list.
Note the direction of travel
From where to where? Only the direction turns two separate reports into a traceable route.
Don't invent an interpretation
Whether it was measuring or just being transferred is rarely obvious from outside. Note the observation, not the guess.
Why engineering runs don’t appear in the timetable
Anyone looking for an engineering run in a journey planner is looking in the wrong place. The reason lies in the system: information systems reflect passenger traffic, and engineering runs belong to operations.
| Type of run | Is it published? | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger train in regular service | yes, in every journey planner | plannable to the minute |
| Freight train in regular service | no, not public | observation through experience and community |
| Measuring and survey run | no | sighting is almost always chance |
| Engineering train and possession run | no | additionally mostly at night and on a closed track |
| Transfer run | no | occasionally turns up in daytime traffic |
What’s missing from the journey planner is still present on the vehicle: every run has an operational number, and every vehicle carries its own. How to find and tell apart train and vehicle numbers in service is explained in the guide to finding the train number.
See what others are reporting right now
For runs without a timetable, community sightings are the only real-time source there is.
How to find such runs anyway
There’s no trick that predicts an engineering run. What there are, are habits that raise your hit rate.
Presence beats planning. Anyone already standing regularly at the same line sees far more of the unusual over months than someone waiting for a specific event.
Follow other people’s reports. A sighting an hour earlier at another spot is the best thing you can get. How to use live reports for this is described in the article on live sightings and real-time data.
Keep an eye on construction phases. Where work is under way, engineering vehicles move about – construction and measuring runs cluster around projects that engineering firms such as IGEBA Ingenieurgesellschaft Bahn plan in advance. Construction is often followed by processing machines, for example rail grinders like the Linsinger SF03-FFS plus, or maintenance vehicles like the Baureihe 701 from the overhead line family.
At night and unannounced: distance is mandatory
Engineering vehicles run at times when nobody expects traffic – at night too, and on tracks that look quiet by day. Worksite areas and operational railway land are off-limits and must not be entered. Observation happens only from publicly accessible ground and at a sufficient distance from the track.
Photographically: using the short window
For an engineering run you usually get one attempt. There’s no second chance on the same day and no announcement for the next.
So the rule is: keep the camera ready when standing at a line where construction work is under way. Set exposure and focus in advance, not in the moment the vehicle passes. If you have to choose between a technically perfect shot and a readable number shot, take the number shot – identification is the real value with these vehicles.
For moving subjects in low light, it’s worth reading the article on shutter speed and panning in train photography. It explains what compromises between sharpness and motion are realistic.
Two more points make the difference with engineering runs. First: capture the whole formation, not just the leading vehicle. A picture showing both vehicles proves the composition – and that’s exactly the information that helps others later. Second: note it down immediately, not later. Time and direction of travel are surprisingly unreliable in memory after two hours, and for runs without a timetable there’s no source you could check them against afterwards.
If the light doesn’t cooperate or the vehicle passed too fast, that’s no loss. A written report with numbers, time and location is often worth more for these runs than a nice picture without readable markings – documentation comes before visual impact here.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It's a measuring and survey vehicle when …
- a short unit of two unusual vehicles is running
- equipment fittings are visible instead of passenger fittings
- the marked class begins with 719 or 720
- the twelve-digit number carries a leading 99
Look more closely when …
- only one vehicle of the formation was visible
- a converted passenger coach runs along in the formation
- the livery gives no clue about the keeper
It's not a measuring and survey vehicle when …
- a work platform sits above the roof – then it's an overhead line vehicle
- tamping, ballast or grinding units are fitted – then it's a track maintenance machine
- the twelve-digit number begins with 98 – then it's a shunter or small locomotive
Verdict
The DB Class 720 stands for a whole class of runs that officially don’t seem to exist: not in the timetable, not in the journey planner, without any announcement. That’s exactly what makes it interesting for spotters. Anyone wanting to catch it relies on presence, follows other people’s reports and documents everything the formation gives away – all numbers, time, direction. And whatever can’t be seen from outside stays unrecorded rather than guessed.
In short
Short formation, technology instead of passenger space, number with 99 – and not a line in the timetable. You'll only find the 720 through attentiveness and community reports, not through planning.
Don't lose chance finds
All numbers, time, location and direction in one place – turning a fleeting passage into a solid sighting.
Summary
- Class 720 is an engineering vehicle from the measuring and survey field of the German network.
- It usually doesn't run alone, but as part of a short formation.
- Because such runs follow no published timetable, sightings are almost always chance finds.
- Anyone documenting it notes all the formation's numbers along with the time and direction of travel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DB Class 720?
An engineering vehicle from the measuring and survey field of the German network. It carries neither passengers nor freight, but belongs to the recording of installation condition. In service it regularly appears together with Class 719 vehicles, forming a short unit that looks unusual from the outside.
Why do you almost always see a 720 together with a 719?
Because both classes belong to the same task and are deployed as a unit in service. For observers that means: both vehicle numbers belong in the note. A sighting in which only one vehicle appears can hardly be matched up reliably later.
Why doesn't a measuring run show up in the journey planner?
Because journey planners cover passenger traffic. Engineering runs are operational movements without passengers; they're dispatched as needed and worked over paths slotted in at short notice. They aren't included in timetable information for that reason – and that isn't going to change.
Why does the vehicle number start with 99?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number are the UIC type code. The 99 marks engineering and auxiliary vehicles, that is, vehicles for building, maintaining and monitoring the network. A 98 would stand for diesel shunting and small locomotives, a 92 for diesel main-line locomotives.
Can you tell whether a vehicle like this is powered?
Often not for certain from outside. Engineering vehicles are built in various ways, and the drive units are hidden. Only the markings on the vehicle and the class designation are reliable. If you're unsure, log the observation without interpretation – that's far more valuable than a wrong attribution.
How do I improve my chances of a sighting?
Through presence and quick reactions rather than planning. Anyone who regularly watches a line, follows other people's reports and can react at short notice catches such runs more often. There are no reliable forecasts – any claim about diagrams or regularity would be invented.
Are engineering vehicles out at night too?
Yes, frequently. Many construction, measuring and maintenance runs fall within operational quiet periods, because paths are then free or closures become possible. For observers that means: expect vehicle movements around the clock, and keep a safe distance at night as well.
What belongs in a good sighting report?
All the vehicle numbers in the formation, date, time, location and direction of travel. For engineering runs, the time is the most valuable piece of information, because combined with other reports it lets people reconstruct a route. Livery and keeper details round it out, but they change.
Log your sighting of the DB Class 720
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
DB Class 719
Class 719 belongs to DB's measuring and survey vehicles. It checks track, overhead line and installations during regular operation – mostly unannounced.
DepartmentalClass 701
The Class 701 is the classic tower car of the Bundesbahn: a railcar with a liftable work platform for maintaining the overhead line.
DepartmentalLinsinger SF03-FFS plus
Milling instead of grinding: the Linsinger SF03-FFS plus machines the rail head by cutting, without any sparks. Here's how to spot the milling train and understand its process.
DepartmentalHarsco RGH 20
The Harsco RGH 20 grinds the rail running surface back into shape. Here's how to recognise the grinding train, how it works, and how to stay safe while watching.
DepartmentalKirow KRC 810 / 1200
Kirow railway slewing cranes lift points, bridge parts and derailed vehicles. Here's how to identify a KRC 810 or 1200 and understand its role on the worksite.
DepartmentalLiebherr A 900 C ZW-Li/1031
A road excavator standing on rails: the Liebherr A 900 C ZW-Li/1031 combines rubber tyres with retractable rail gear. Here's how to spot a road-rail vehicle on the track.
Who is behind it
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