Key takeaways
- The number 1500 is engine power in PS and places the locomotive in the upper power class of industrial locomotive building.
- CC stands for two three-axle powered bogies - six powered axles, all usable for tractive effort.
- The twelve-digit vehicle number starts with 98 for this vehicle group and contains a country code, a serial number and a check digit.
- Registration is mandatory as soon as a vehicle operates on the public network - pure works locomotives often carry only an internal number.
- KHD stands for Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in Cologne, a firm with a long tradition in engine and locomotive building.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel locomotive for heavy shunting and works railway service |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD), Cologne |
| Type code | D = diesel traction, 1500 = engine power in PS; the letter group at the end describes the axle arrangement |
| Axle arrangement | CC - two three-axle powered bogies; the trailing letter marks a design variant |
| UIC type code | 98 (diesel shunting and light locomotive) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Six axles in two bogies - noticeably larger than the usual three- and four-axle works locomotives
- Sturdy, long frame with a bonnet and often a centrally placed cab
- Type line on the builder's plate starts with DG and ends with the wheel-arrangement group
- Vehicle number of registered locomotives starts with 98 and carries a country code plus keeper marking
- Shunting equipment with corner steps, handrails, warning devices and often radio remote control
- Operating environment: heavy works and port railways with high wagon volumes
Updated: August 2026 - Six powered axles, two bogies, a type name ending in four letters: the KHD DG 1500 CCM sits at the upper edge of what runs under type code 98. This page shows you how to break down the type name - and how the twelve-digit vehicle number does the rest.
Read the number? Log it right away.
For industrial locomotives, the vehicle number is half the identity - capture it together with the date and location.
What is the KHD DG 1500 CCM?
The KHD DG 1500 CCM is a heavy diesel locomotive for shunting and works railway service built by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in Cologne. In the type name, the D stands for diesel traction, and the 1500 for engine power in metric horsepower. The letter group at the end follows the general wheel-arrangement notation: CC denotes two three-axle powered bogies, and the trailing letter a design variant of the base type.
The second letter of the code belongs to KHD’s internal works key and shouldn’t be inferred from other manufacturers’ codes - the same letters mean their own thing at Henschel, MaK or Krauss-Maffei. The type line on the builder’s plate is always the reliable source.
In European vehicle numbering, the locomotive falls under type code 98 for diesel shunting and light locomotives. The fact that a six-axle vehicle sits there and not under 92 for diesel main-line locomotives is the core of the system: it asks about the intended use, not the size.
The twelve-digit vehicle number in blocks
When a vehicle number appears on the frame, it provides more information than any type list. It’s structured into blocks that you can read individually.
| Block | Content | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Digits 1-2 | Vehicle type | 98 = diesel shunting and light locomotive, 92 = diesel main-line locomotive |
| Digits 3-4 | Country code | The vehicle’s country of registration |
| Digits 5-8 | Class or type identifier | Classification within the country |
| Digits 9-11 | Serial number | Distinguishes individual vehicles within the same group |
| Digit 12 | Check digit | Check against reading and transcription errors |
| Prefix | Country code and keeper marking | Who currently operates the vehicle |
The check digit is more than a formality here. It’s calculated from the eleven digits before it, so a misread digit stands out. How the calculation works in detail and what typical reading errors to watch for is explained in the article on the UIC number and its check digit.
Registered or purely internal?
Not every works locomotive carries such a number. Whether a machine must be registered depends on the private siding’s operating concept - a field that service providers such as AnschlussBahnProfis handle for works operations. The distinction matters because it determines what you can rely on when documenting a sighting.
1. Look for the marking on the frame
Registered vehicles carry the twelve-digit number together with a country code and keeper marking, usually on the frame side or under the cab window.
2. Check the first two digits
If the number starts with 98, the vehicle type is confirmed. That gives you the classification even before you know the type name.
3. If the number is missing, the builder's plate counts
Vehicles that only operate on works tracks need no registration for the public network. In that case, manufacturer, type, works number and year built remain your only anchor.
4. Note the keeper marking too
It names the currently registered keeper - a detail that changes with every change of operator and is therefore only meaningful together with a date.
Where to find vehicle and train numbers on the vehicle and in operation at all is covered in the overview in the guide finding the train number.
Heavy industrial locomotives are rare guests
See where the last sighting was reported - and share your own find with the number and date.
Why six axles for shunting service
Six-axle works locomotives only pay off where very large masses are moved on a permanent basis. The reason lies in adhesion: only as much tractive effort can be transmitted as the weight on the powered axles and the condition of wheel and rail allow. More powered axles mean more usable adhesive weight - and, at the same time, a lower load per axle, which can be decisive on lightly built works tracks.
Two three-axle bogies solve the same design conflict here as four-axle types do: the locomotive is allowed to be long and heavy, yet still has to get round tight curves. A rigid frame with six coupled axles wouldn’t be practical for that.
The next size down is shown by four-axle types such as the Henschel DHG 1200 BB and the Krauss-Maffei M 1200 BB. From the same Cologne tradition as the DG 1500 comes the noticeably smaller Jenbacher Werke/Deutz MG 530 C.
Working out the check digit yourself
Anyone reading numbers from a distance will misread one occasionally. The twelfth digit exists precisely for that - it can be recalculated from the eleven digits before it and reveals reading errors.
1. Weight the digits alternately
Multiply the eleven digits from left to right alternately by 2 and 1, starting with a 2 at the first position.
2. Split two-digit results
If a product comes out as two digits, add its individual digits together. So 14 becomes 1 + 4 = 5, not 14.
3. Add everything up
Form the sum of all values obtained this way. The result is a one- or two-digit number.
4. Round up to the next multiple of ten
The check digit is the amount missing to reach the next number divisible by ten. If the sum is already divisible by ten, the check digit is 0.
If your result doesn’t match the twelfth digit you read off, you’ve most likely misread something somewhere - a common occurrence with dirty or partially obscured markings on shunting locomotives. In that case, the only options are to check the number again or record the sighting without the full number. A wrongly transcribed number is worse than one left blank, because it can later end up attributed to a different vehicle.
Observing: location and safety
Shunting areas are particularly dangerous
In shunting service, vehicles move without warning and without signals, are often propelled, and sightlines are frequently broken. Heavy groups of wagons roll up quietly and move faster than they appear to. Works, port and private siding railways are private property under the operator's house rules. Observe only from publicly accessible land and never enter track areas.
In practice, that means: public paths along the site boundary, bridges and neighbouring platforms - and a telephoto lens instead of getting closer. A sighting that helps others includes the type, number, keeper marking, location and date; how to write one up properly is shown in the guide to reporting sightings.
Common mix-ups
It points to a DG 1500 CCM if …
- you count six axles in two bogies
- the builder's plate names Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz
- the type line starts with DG and ends in a CC group
- the vehicle number starts with 98
Look more closely if …
- you see six axles but the bogie division is hidden
- the locomotive carries main-line markings and the type code reads 92
- lists carry the type without the trailing extra letter
It isn't a DG 1500 CCM if …
- you count four or fewer axles
- the axles sit in a rigid frame with no bogies
- the builder's plate shows a different manufacturer
Verdict
The KHD DG 1500 CCM shows both classification systems working together: the manufacturer’s type gives the power class and axle arrangement, the twelve-digit vehicle number supplies the vehicle type, country, serial number and keeper. Anyone who reads both has a sighting that’s unambiguous - with no data sheet and no guessed figures.
In short
Six axles in two bogies, a DG type line, a number starting with 98: that settles the classification. Recalculate the check digit, note the keeper marking, add the date - and you have a record that holds up.
Big locomotives, clean data
Type, vehicle number, keeper and date in one place - so every sighting stays traceable.
Summary
- Six-axle industrial locomotives are the top end of what type code 98 covers - large, heavy and still built for shunting service.
- The type name gives you the power class and axle arrangement, the vehicle number the formal classification including keeper and country of registration.
- Together, the two are enough to make a sighting unambiguous and traceable for good.
- Keeper, livery and location keep changing and should therefore always be noted along with the date.
Frequently asked questions
What does KHD DG 1500 CCM mean?
KHD stands for Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in Cologne. In the type name, D denotes diesel traction, and the number 1500 the engine power in metric horsepower. The letter group at the end follows the standard wheel-arrangement notation: CC stands for two three-axle powered bogies, and the trailing letter for a design variant of the base type.
How is the twelve-digit vehicle number structured?
For traction vehicles, the first two digits denote the vehicle type - here 98 for diesel shunting and light locomotives. These are followed by the country code, a block identifying the class or type, a serial number, and finally a check digit that lets you detect transcription errors.
What is the NVR and what is it for?
The National Vehicle Register records rail vehicles authorised to operate on the public network. Among other things, it holds the vehicle number, the keeper and the party responsible for maintenance. Only through this registration does a vehicle receive the European vehicle number you read off the frame.
Why do some works locomotives have no vehicle number at all?
Because they only operate on non-public track. Vehicles that never leave the works site need no registration for the public network and often carry only an internal running number. In such cases, the builder's plate remains the only unambiguous proof of identity.
What is a check digit and what is it good for?
The last digit of the twelve-digit number is calculated from the eleven digits before it. It serves as a check: anyone who misreads or mistypes a digit ends up with a number that fails the check calculation. For spotters, that's a practical self-test for hard-to-read markings.
Why does such a large locomotive carry code 98 and not 92?
Because the vehicle type is assigned by intended use and approval, not by size or power. 98 denotes diesel shunting and light locomotives, 92 diesel main-line locomotives. A heavy works locomotive can be noticeably larger than some main-line machines and still remain, operationally, a shunting locomotive.
Where do you encounter six-axle industrial locomotives?
At operations with very high wagon volumes: steel and chemical sites, large port facilities, power plant and mining sidings. Keepers and locations change constantly, because vehicles are sold, leased or stabled. Rely on current sightings rather than older fleet lists.
How do I reliably photograph a vehicle number?
As close to perpendicular to the marking surface as possible, using sufficient focal length rather than getting closer. Two shots at slightly different angles help with embossed or dirty markings. And recalculate the check digit if the number was hard to read - that immediately flags a misread.
Log your sighting of the KHD DG 1500 CCM
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
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