Gmeinder 190 PS / Gmeinder D 35 B

Updated: August 2026 – The same locomotive, two completely different names: sometimes it’s called Gmeinder 190 PS, sometimes Gmeinder D 35 B. That’s not an error in some list, but typical for the world of industrial locomotives. This page explains how the two designations relate to each other, what to look for to identify the type, and how to document such vehicles properly.

What’s behind Gmeinder 190 PS and D 35 B?

Both designations stand for the same vehicle family from the manufacturer Gmeinder & Co. of Mosbach in Baden: a compact, two-axle diesel shunting locomotive for industrial and private sidings. The only difference is which aspect is used for the naming. How Gmeinder builds its type scheme from traction type, class code and wheel arrangement is the key to every machine from Mosbach.

• D 35 B is the works type designation. The D stands for diesel traction, the B for the wheel arrangement with two powered axles, and the number marks the size class within the works’ product range.
• 190 PS is the power designation, as operators, dealers and vehicle lists often use it when no works type is known.

This duplication is the norm for industrial locomotives, and it’s why the same machine goes by different names in different sources. The Gmeinder 250 PS or the Krupp 350 PS, for example, are listed in a comparable way – there too, the power figure stands in for the works type.

How to identify a two-axle works shunter

The general approach to working through such features in order is set out in the guide to identifying rolling-stock classes.

Placement: what a locomotive this size is built for

Two-axle shunting locomotives aren’t small main-line locomotives, but a distinct vehicle type with a clear purpose: short distances, low speed, frequent starting and stopping, tight curves on works sidings.

Criterion	Two-axle works shunter	Three-axle shunter	Diesel main-line locomotive
Axle count	two	three	four to six
Typical environment	works and private sidings	station, transfer yard, marshalling yard	open line
Curve running	very good	good	limited
Designation	manufacturer type or power figure	class number	class number
Type code in the number	98	98	92

This table also explains why hardly any public fleet data exists for vehicles like this: anything that only runs on works sidings appears in no timetable and no diagram list. A three-axle comparable type from the same maker is the Gmeinder D 500 C.

Spotting and photographing industrial locomotives

• Settle your vantage point before raising the camera. Works, port and private-siding railways are private property. What you can see from the public road is what you may photograph – nothing more.
• Make the builder’s plate a required shot. It’s the only unambiguous identifier and is often legible only from a certain angle.
• Side view rather than a head-on shot. For two-axle locomotives, the information sits in the frame, the wheel size and the shape of the bonnet.
• Capture the coupling and buffers too. The type and height of the coupling and buffing gear say a lot about the environment the locomotive works in.
• Note the condition. Operational, stabled, restored or preserved as a monument – this changes quickly for this vehicle group.

What a logbook looks like that captures such changes instead of blurring them is shown in the guide to keeping a sightings log.

What distances at the track actually apply, and why they aren’t a matter of judgement, is set out in the article on safe distances at the track.

The path from works type to individual vehicle

A type designation describes a build, not a single vehicle. That’s the crucial difference from the state railway, where class and running number together give an unambiguous identification for industrial locomotives. For a works locomotive you have to take this step yourself – and in this order.

• Identify the build. Axle count, running gear, body shape. That gives you the family, but not yet the vehicle.
• Establish the manufacturer. Via the builder’s plate. Without a plate, a real residual risk remains for similarly built light locomotives from different works.
• Note the works number. It’s unique and never changes – not even on sale, rebuild or repainting.
• Add the running number. It tells you who currently owns the locomotive, and is meaningful only with a date attached, precisely for that reason.
• Record the condition. Operational, stabled, restored or preserved as a monument: this changes quickly for this vehicle group.

The effort pays off because it fills the gap that exists almost everywhere for industrial locomotives. For state-railway classes, fleet lists, diagram plans and specialist literature exist. For works locomotives, often only what enthusiasts have documented exists. A sighting with works number, date and photo is therefore not an end in itself for collectors, but real groundwork – and the reason two extra shots at the fence always pay off.

Common mix-ups

One last practical warning: the build itself can also mislead. Two-axle shunting locomotives were built in large numbers over decades, by many works and to very similar principles. Cab shape, bonnet length and frame design differ in detail, but not so systematically that a reliable manufacturer attribution can be drawn from them. If you’re missing the builder’s plate, the most honest note is “two-axle works shunter, manufacturer unclear” – that’s a usable sighting, whereas a wrong attribution is not.

Conclusion

Gmeinder 190 PS and Gmeinder D 35 B are not a contradiction, but two ways of looking at the same vehicle: one via power output, the other via works type. Anyone who knows this can sort industrial locomotives in registers far more confidently and spot duplicates immediately. For identification in the field, though, the simplest route still applies: count the axles, look at the body, photograph the builder’s plate.