Key takeaways
- The LVT/S is a light railcar: a short, two-axle diesel railcar from the Bautzen carriage works for lines with low passenger numbers.
- Fastest way to recognise it: two axles with no bogie plus a modern, box-shaped body – this combination is rare.
- At DB it runs as Class 672, which sets it clearly apart from older light railcars and from railbuses.
- The UIC type code 95 marks it as a diesel multiple unit – so it's neither a trailer car nor a locomotive.
- Operators and networks of use change with contract awards and timetable years; check the current state before a planned trip.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Two-axle diesel railcar for lightly used regional lines |
|---|---|
| Type designation | LVT/S – light internal-combustion railcar, special design |
| Manufacturer | Deutsche Waggonbau AG (Bautzen works), later Bombardier |
| Years built | 1990s |
| Running gear | Two single axles, no bogies |
| Traction | Underfloor diesel engine |
| DB class | 672 (variants include 672.9) |
| Typical use | Regional services on branch lines – operators and networks change |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Short single car on two axles, no bogies under the body
- Box-shaped, modern body with large side windows and a driving cab at both ends
- Low entrances with plug-sliding doors instead of bus-style doors with steps
- Diesel engine under the floor, exhaust and cooling-air grilles on the side of the car
- Vehicle number from the 672 range on the bodyside and cab
- Usually runs single or double-headed with an identical vehicle
Updated: August 2026 – A single, short railcar stops at the platform, a diesel engine hums under the floor, and instead of bogies there are just two single axles under the body: chances are you’re looking at a DWA LVT/S. This page shows you what to look for, why vehicles like this exist at all, and how to improve your chances of a sighting.
Spotted a light railcar? Note the number.
Especially for vehicles whose networks of use change, a documented sighting is worth more than the memory of it.
What is the DWA LVT/S?
The LVT/S is a two-axle diesel railcar for regional services on lightly used lines, developed and built in the 1990s at the Bautzen carriage works of Deutsche Waggonbau AG, which was later absorbed into Bombardier Transportation. At Deutsche Bahn these vehicles are carried as Class 672.
The string of letters isn’t a model name but a type description: LVT stands for Leichter Verbrennungstriebwagen (light internal-combustion railcar), and the added S marks the newer special design. This already spells out the vehicle’s role – it’s about lightweight construction and low operating costs, not capacity or speed. In today’s fleet, the same job is also done by types such as the Regio-Shuttle RS1, which, however, runs on bogies.
Identification: two axles is the deciding feature
The LVT/S belongs to the group of vehicles where a single feature does almost all the work.
Look underneath the car
Two single axles, mounted directly in the frame. No bogie, no pivot, no secondary suspension. That immediately rules out virtually all modern regional railcars.
Judge the car length
The LVT/S is a single car with no articulation and noticeably shorter than a two-part multiple unit. If you see gangways between car sections, you're looking at something else.
Check the body and doors
Modern, smooth body, large windows, plug-sliding doors. That sets it clearly apart from the old railbuses with bus-style doors and steps.
The final confirmation comes from the vehicle number. How to read it and what the first digits say about the vehicle type is explained in the article on the UIC number and its check digit. If you want to identify systematically rather than case by case, the guide to identifying rolling-stock classes will help. Related vehicles can be found under Class 672.9 (Bombardier LVT/S); the historic predecessor line of light railcars leads to Class 772.
Memory aid
Two axles plus modern equals light railcar. Two axles plus bus-style body equals railbus. Bogies plus modern equals everything else. With these three rules you'll be right almost every time in German regional traffic.
Why light railcars get built for railway operations
A vehicle like the LVT/S exists for an economic reason. On a branch line with a half-hourly service and twenty passengers per journey, it isn’t top speed that decides whether the service survives, but the cost per train-kilometre.
| Criterion | Light railcar (LVT/S) | Multi-part diesel multiple unit | Loco-hauled train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | low | medium to high | high |
| Operating cost | low | medium | high |
| Typical route | branch line with low demand | Regionalexpress lines | reinforcement and special workings |
| Turnaround | driving cab at both ends | driving cab at both ends | driving trailer or run-round needed |
| Ride comfort | fairly harsh, two-axle | good, bogies | good, bogies |
Where demand rises, this vehicle type consequently disappears again – higher-capacity types then take over. What that means for telling traffic types apart is set out in the article comparing local and long-distance services.
Which vehicles are currently running on your line?
Live sightings from the community show you actual deployment instead of an outdated list.
Spotting: small stations beat big hubs
With the LVT/S, the usual spotting logic is turned on its head. Large hub stations get you very little here, because the vehicle appears there, if at all, only on the margins. What’s interesting are terminus stations on branch lines, crossing stations with a stop, and connecting hubs where the railcar sits for a few minutes.
Look for crossing stations
On single-track lines, trains wait for each other as scheduled. These minutes are the best opportunity for clean side views and number shots.
Plan for the terminus
There the vehicle stands for longer, changes cab end and is easily reached from the platform – without you getting near the track area.
Catch it double-headed too
If two vehicles are running coupled, photograph both numbers. Exactly this kind of configuration changes seasonally and is hard to reconstruct later.
Safety comes before the shot
Track areas, level crossings away from designated paths, and operational railway land are off limits. Photograph from the platform or from publicly accessible locations – for short railcars, a moderate focal length is usually entirely sufficient.
How to set up your photo technique for this is covered in the guide to taking good photos of trains.
Two-axle: what that means technically
The decision to use two single axles instead of two bogies is the core of this vehicle – and it has consequences you can see and hear in operation.
A bogie is its own frame with two wheelsets that can pivot under the car body. It guides the vehicle cleanly through curves, provides two-stage suspension and gives a smooth ride. These components are exactly what’s missing on a two-axle vehicle: the wheelsets are mounted directly in the vehicle frame. That saves weight, components and maintenance effort, makes the vehicle cheaper to run – and at the same time limits length, capacity and ride comfort.
For field identification, that’s the single most valuable piece of information. If you get into the habit of looking under the car body first, you split the whole of German regional traffic into two very unequal groups: the large majority on bogies, and the small group of two-axle vehicles. In passenger service, the latter consists in practice almost entirely of historic railbuses and modern light railcars like the LVT/S – and you can tell the two apart by the body shape in a second.
The difference is audible too. Over points and rail joints, a two-axle vehicle rides noticeably harder; through curves it tends to squeal. Anyone who stands regularly at the same spot will eventually recognise such vehicles by sound before they come into sight.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It points to an LVT/S if …
- the car runs on two single axles
- it's a short single car with no articulation
- the body looks modern and has plug-sliding doors
- the number begins with 672
Look more closely if …
- the vehicle is running in an operator livery with no DB markings
- you only have a front view and can't see the running gear
- two vehicles are coupled and you can't tell the numbers apart
It's not an LVT/S if …
- you see bogies
- the train consists of several articulated sections
- the body is tall and narrow with bus-style windows – then it's an older railbus type
Conclusion
The LVT/S is a vehicle with a clear job: plenty of route, few passengers, low costs. That’s exactly what makes it easy to identify in the field – two axles under a modern body are a rare combination in German passenger traffic. Planning is harder, because networks of use shift with transport contracts. Anyone looking for it works with current sightings rather than old lists.
In short
Short single car, two axles, modern body, number 672: that's the LVT/S. It lives on branch lines – that's where you look for it, not at the big hub station.
Your regional-traffic sightings, documented properly
Number, line, date and photo all in one place – so you can see which vehicles you're still missing.
Summary
- The LVT/S carries the concept of the light, economical single railcar for branch lines forward into the 1990s.
- Axle count, car length and the vehicle number from the 672 range are enough to identify it.
- Anyone looking for it specifically should focus on regional networks with short trains and low demand rather than large hub stations.
- Because networks of use change along with transport contracts, it's worth documenting sightings with date, location and number.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation LVT/S mean?
LVT stands for Leichter Verbrennungstriebwagen (light internal-combustion railcar) – that is, a diesel-powered railcar of low vehicle weight. The added S marks the newer special design from the Bautzen carriage works, developed as a further evolution of the older LVT concept. At DB these vehicles run as Class 672.
How do I recognise an LVT/S in the field?
By the combination of two axles with no bogies and a modern, box-shaped car body. Two-axle vehicles are the absolute exception in today's passenger traffic – almost all other railcars run on bogies. Add to that driving cabs at both ends and an audible underfloor engine.
What's the difference between the LVT/S and a railbus?
Both are two-axle diesel railcars, but they come from completely different eras. The 1950s railbus has a tall, narrow body with bus-style windows and steps; the LVT/S looks modern, with plug-sliding doors and lower entrances. If in doubt, the vehicle number settles it.
Why build two-axle railcars at all?
Because on lightly used lines, every kilogram and every seat costs too much money. A short two-axle vehicle is lighter, uses less fuel and can be run economically even with few passengers. The price for that is lower capacity and a noticeably harsher ride than bogie vehicles.
Where does the LVT/S run today?
On regional services on branch lines, though operators and networks shift with tendering rounds and timetable changes. So don't rely on older deployment lists – check current sightings and the valid timetable for the line in question.
Does the LVT/S also run double-headed?
Yes, that's a typical sight: if one vehicle's capacity isn't enough, two identical railcars are coupled and driven from one cab. That's handy for spotters, because it gives you two vehicle numbers in one sighting.
How do I identify the exact variant?
By the full vehicle number. Within Class 672 there are subgroups that differ in fittings and origin – for instance the vehicles listed as 672.9. Visible differences are often small, so the number is the more reliable route.
Is the LVT/S suitable for long-distance services?
No. It's a purely local-transport vehicle for short routes with many stops. Long-distance services mean long runs, high speed and plenty of capacity – multi-part multiple units or loco-hauled trains handle that.
Log your sighting of the DWA LVT/S
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Class 672.9 (Bombardier LVT/S)
The Class 672.9 is a light single railcar from Bautzen that continues the branch-line tradition of the East German lightweight railcars.
DMUClass 772
The Class 772 is the Deutsche Reichsbahn's two-axle light railcar – known as the Ferkeltaxe and today found almost only at heritage railways.
DMUClass 650 (Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1)
The Regio-Shuttle RS1 of Class 650 is Germany's most distinctive single-part diesel railcar. Here's how to recognise it by its front, windows and roof.
DMUClass 668.4
The Class 668.4 is the battery variant of the Siemens Mireo. It runs electrically, charges under overhead line and bridges sections with no contact wire from storage.
DMUClass 670
The Class 670 is a single-unit double-deck diesel railcar from the 1990s – a tiny series that never found a successor in Germany.
DMUClass 689 / 690
The designation Class 689 / 690 groups two neighbouring number ranges in the railcar block. Here's how to read the number and place it correctly.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
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