Key takeaways
- Small locomotives transmit their power mechanically – through a gearbox and from there to the axles via chain or coupling rod.
- In this size class, the drive components often sit out in the open, so you can read them straight off the vehicle.
- Ns denotes LKM Babelsberg's narrow-gauge small-locomotive series, and the digit marks the type stage.
- Type code 98 marks diesel shunting and small locomotives, while 92 marks diesel main-line locomotives.
- Keeper, livery and location change constantly – always check the current position.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Small narrow-gauge diesel locomotive |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Lokomotivbau Karl Marx Babelsberg (LKM) |
| Designation group | Ns – LKM's type series of narrow-gauge shunters, with a digit for the type stage |
| UIC type code | 98 (diesel shunting and small locomotive) |
| Reliable way to identify it | Builder's plate with maker, type, works number and year built |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Very small build with a low body and short wheelbase
- Drive components between the axles are often visible in the open – a chain or a coupling rod
- Builder's plate reads LKM, or Lokomotivbau Karl Marx Babelsberg in full
- Type marking of the Ns series with a trailing digit
- Runs on narrow-gauge track, not standard gauge
- Setting: light railways, industrial railways, heritage and society operations
Updated: August 2026 – On big locomotives, the technology disappears behind panelling. On an LKM Ns 2, it’s practically laid out on a plate: gearbox, drive components and axles are often visible to the naked eye at this size. This page shows how power transmission works on small locomotives like this – and what you can actually see of it on the vehicle.
Seen the technology, logged the sighting?
Light railway vehicles rarely stay long in the same spot – note the works number and date right away.
What is the LKM Ns 2?
The LKM Ns 2 is a small diesel locomotive for narrow-gauge track from Lokomotivbau Karl Marx in Babelsberg’s range. It belongs to the Ns series, which groups together the manufacturer’s narrow-gauge small locomotives; the trailing digit marks the type stage within that series.
Operationally these are work machines for short runs and light loads: shunting skips, serving loading points, moving wagons a few hundred metres. Within the UIC type codes, vehicles like this belong to group 98 – diesel shunting and small locomotives – and explicitly not to the diesel main-line locomotives, which start with 92.
How the power gets to the axles
Between engine and wheel, every locomotive has a chain of technical components. Which ones are used decides how it handles, how much maintenance it needs – and what you can identify from outside.
Engine and clutch
On small locomotives, the diesel engine usually sits in the bonnet or under a hinged cover. Power goes into the gearbox through a mechanical clutch.
Manual gearbox
With diesel-mechanical drive, the driver changes through fixed gear stages. This is simple and robust, but requires pauses in changing gear under load.
Transmission to the axle
From the gearbox it continues via a chain, a propeller shaft, or via a jackshaft with coupling rods. This is exactly where the types differ visibly.
Axles and wheelsets
With two coupled axles, both run driven together. With only one driven axle, you'll see no connection between the wheels.
For identification in the field, that means: look first at the area between the wheels. If a rod runs along there, you have jackshaft or rod drive. If you see a chain or a chain guard, it’s chain drive. If the area stays clear, the power runs protected underneath the vehicle.
| Type of transmission | Visible feature | Typical for |
|---|---|---|
| Chain drive | chain or chain guard between gearbox and axle | very small light and quarry railway vehicles |
| Jackshaft with coupling rods | a moving rod between the axles | small locomotives and older shunters |
| Propeller shaft with axle gearbox | area between the wheels stays clear | newer shunters and bogie types |
| Diesel-hydraulic gearbox | barely visible from outside, often a radiator system in the bonnet | medium and large shunting locomotives |
| Diesel-electric transmission | traction motors at the axles, large fan grilles | powerful shunting and main-line locomotives |
The drive area first, then the details
On small locomotives, a look between the wheels tells you more than any front view. It works from some distance away and in moderate light too.
Log the features while you can see them
Drive type, works number, gauge – all bundled into one sighting instead of reconstructed later.
Where it fits into railway operation
Vehicles in the Ns series don’t run to a timetable. They work in operating rhythms: when there’s loading to do, they run; otherwise they stand. For watching, that means running days and events are the decisive information – not knowledge of the line. Running days like this are announced, for instance, by the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum (Frankfurt Light Railway Museum) for its collection. On a larger circuit, by contrast, the Parkeisenbahn Chemnitz (Chemnitz park railway) runs to its own timetable during the season.
Within the same type series, it’s worth comparing with the LKM Ns 1 and the LKM Ns 4; anyone wanting to see the jump to standard gauge should picture the LKM V 10 C alongside them. The difference in size makes it instantly clear why different technical solutions make sense for small locomotives.
Shunting and light railway operation are dangerous
Vehicles there are moved without warning and without a signal, often propelled and with restricted visibility. Skips roll off by themselves on a gradient. Light, industrial and museum railway sites are private property. Don't enter any track areas, and follow the operator's instructions.
Photography and documentation
For small locomotives, documentation matters more than a spectacular composition, because vehicles in this group are poorly documented and change hands quickly.
- Photograph the drive area too. A shot showing the chain or coupling rod clearly proves the type of drive.
- The builder’s plate as a close-up. Embossed lettering reads better in raking light than in front-on sunshine.
- A low viewpoint. From eye level you’re looking down onto the roof; level with the cab windows, the proportions work.
- A scale reference in the frame. A person or a wagon next to the vehicle makes the size readable.
How to file and later find such photos is described in the article on building a photo archive for spotters. For structured recording of the sighting itself, the guide to a sighting logbook helps. The basic order for identification is explained in the guide to identifying rolling stock.
Why mechanical drive stayed common on small locomotives for so long
On large locomotives, mechanical drive fell out of use early: beyond a certain power output, clutch and gearbox simply can’t be controlled sensibly any more. On small locomotives, though, it remained the first choice for decades – for four easily understood reasons.
Simplicity. A manual gearbox is made of parts that any workshop understands. Where a light railway had no maintenance facility of its own, that was decisive. Repairs could be done with tools on hand, and spare parts often came straight from vehicle manufacturing.
Efficiency. A torque converter loses part of its power in the fluid. At a few dozen kilowatts, that loss weighs proportionally more heavily than on a large shunter. Mechanically transmitted power, by contrast, reaches the axle almost undiminished.
Weight and space. Small locomotives are tightly proportioned. An extra gearbox housing with a cooling circuit needs room that simply isn’t there in a short bonnet.
Duty cycle. Light and industrial railway vehicles run short distances with few speed changes. The drawbacks of gear changing – interrupted tractive effort, pauses under load – matter less there than in shunting duty with constant starts against heavy groups of wagons.
Only as demands for operating comfort and tractive effort rose did hydraulic transmission take over on smaller vehicles too. Anyone wanting to see both types side by side will often find exactly this line of development on show at larger museum collections. Narrow-gauge small and light railway technology is collected, for instance, by the Dampf-Kleinbahn Mühlenstroth (Mühlenstroth steam light railway) in Gütersloh. For identification in the field, the rule of thumb remains: the smaller the vehicle, the more likely the drive is mechanical, and the more likely you are to see its components from outside.
Common mix-ups
It points to an LKM small locomotive when …
- the vehicle runs on narrow gauge
- the builder's plate names LKM or Babelsberg
- a type marking from the Ns series is present
- drive components between the axles are visible in the open
Look more closely when …
- the vehicle has been rebuilt or reconstructed
- the drive area is panelled over
- only a society or works number is marked on it
It's not an Ns 2 when …
- the vehicle stands on standard gauge
- the builder's plate names a different manufacturer
- the type marking shows a different digit in the series
In short
The LKM Ns 2 is a good lesson in how a locomotive works at its core: engine, clutch, gearbox, transmission, axle – at this size the chain of components is almost entirely traceable. For identification, that means a look between the wheels already gets you a good way there. As with all industrial locomotives, the builder’s plate delivers the final match.
In short
Look first into the drive area on the LKM Ns 2: chain, coupling rod or an empty gap tell you which type stands before you. The builder's plate confirms it – the livery tells you nothing.
Collect small-locomotive sightings
Drive type, works number, location and date in one app – so your overview of a poorly documented vehicle group keeps growing.
Summary
- Power transmission isn't a hidden detail on small locomotives – it's a visible identifying feature.
- Diesel-mechanical drive is the simplest and lowest-maintenance solution for very small vehicles.
- The builder's plate, not the livery or the society number, gives you a reliable match.
- Light railway and museum sites are private property; access and photography are set by the operator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the LKM Ns 2?
The LKM Ns 2 is a small diesel locomotive for narrow-gauge track, built by Lokomotivbau Karl Marx in Babelsberg. It belongs to the Ns type series, in which the trailing digit gives the type stage. Vehicles in this size class work on light, quarry and industrial railways and carry the type code 98 in the numbering system.
What is diesel-mechanical power transmission?
The diesel engine drives a manual gearbox through a clutch, whose output moves the axles – much like in a car. The driver changes gear, and the speed steps are fixed. This is mechanically simple, robust, and the obvious solution for small power outputs.
What's the difference from diesel-hydraulic drive?
In diesel-hydraulic drive, a torque converter sits between engine and axles, transmitting power steplessly through fluid. That allows fine control when shunting under load and does away with gear changes altogether. It's the common type on larger shunters, whereas mechanical drive is the usual choice on very small vehicles.
How do I recognise chain drive?
By a chain between the gearbox output and the axle, often behind a sheet-metal guard, though on older vehicles it can be left exposed. Chain drive appears almost exclusively on very small vehicles – you won't find it on a standard-gauge shunter.
What is a jackshaft?
An extra shaft mounted in the frame that takes power from the gearbox and passes it on to several driven axles via coupling rods. That lets two or three axles be driven from a single gearbox output. The moving rods are easy to see from outside.
Why do locomotives like this carry type code 98?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number denote the vehicle type. 98 stands for diesel shunting and small locomotives, 92 for diesel main-line locomotives. Many narrow-gauge vehicles, though, carry no number under this scheme at all, because they were never registered on the public network.
Where do you come across the Ns 2 today?
Mostly at light railway museums, heritage society railways and in private collections. Stock and locations change constantly through sales, storage and overhauls. Current sightings are far more reliable for this vehicle group than any older inventory list.
How do I record a sighting properly?
Note the works number, year built, gauge, location, date and the keeper's markings. For small locomotives, that's the only combination that reliably lets you identify a vehicle again later – livery and society number alone don't last long enough.
Log your sighting of the LKM Ns 2
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
LKM Ns 1
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Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Dampf-Kleinbahn Mühlenstroth e.V.
The Dampf-Kleinbahn Mühlenstroth runs a narrow-gauge field railway with its own steam operation near Gütersloh. The society did not take over a line from the state railway but built its own from scratch on its own land – a special case that is rare in the heritage railway scene.
Heritage railwayFrankfurter Feldbahnmuseum e.V.
The Frankfurt Light Railway Museum preserves a class of vehicle almost nobody knows any more: the 600-millimetre light railway from brickworks, peat cuttings and building sites. On running days these machines run again on the museum grounds – steam included.
Heritage railwayParkeisenbahn Chemnitz
The Parkeisenbahn Chemnitz runs on 600 millimetre gauge through the Küchwald – and it doesn't run as a backdrop, but as an operation with a timetable, signals and a duty roster. A large part of that duty is carried out by teenagers, supervised by volunteer adults.
Heritage railwayParkeisenbahn Peißnitzexpress Halle (Saale)
The Peißnitzexpress runs on an island in the Saale. That sounds picturesque and is operationally a burden: floods, riverside woodland and limited access determine when and how it runs. For visitors that means above all one thing – check beforehand whether it's running at all.
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