MaK 1200 D

Updated: August 2026 – Four axles in a line, with a rod between them that visibly turns as the locomotive sets off: the MaK 1200 D belongs to the class of heavy shunting locomotives where the power transmission isn’t hidden away but is part of the appearance. This page explains what the type name tells you and how the jackshaft and coupling rods work together.

What is the MaK 1200 D?

The MaK 1200 D is a four-axle diesel locomotive for heavy shunting and transfer service from the type programme of Maschinenbau Kiel. The type code follows the logic typical of MaK: the number denotes the engine power in horsepower, the letter the number of coupled driving axles. D stands for four axles – and rigidly mounted in the main frame, not in bogies. The Kiel type programme was later continued by Vossloh, which is why closely related machines carry different builder’s plates depending on their year of build.

Within the UIC type codes it belongs to group 98 for diesel shunting and light locomotives. This classification matters more than it sounds: it separates vehicles that move wagons from diesel main-line locomotives with code 92, which haul trains along the line. Visually, a heavy shunting locomotive can easily look larger than a light main-line locomotive – the number reveals its actual role.

Understanding the jackshaft and coupling rods

Rod drive solves a simple problem. A gearbox has one output, but the vehicle has four axles. Instead of building four separate drivetrains, the axles are linked mechanically.

How to work through this and other features in a sensible order is described in the guide to identifying rolling-stock classes.

Where it fits in railway operations

The number of axles in the type name is at the same time a statement about its field of use. This overview roughly places the MaK programme.

Letter in the type name	Axles	Typical field of use
B	two coupled axles	light industrial railway, short distances, small groups of wagons
C	three coupled axles	classic shunting service with more adhesion weight
D	four coupled axles	heavy shunting and transfer service
BB	four axles in two groups	larger vehicles with divided running gear
B’B’	two bogies with two axles each	design for higher speeds and longer distances

Among the four-axle machines it’s worth comparing the MaK 650 D and the MaK 600 D – the same number of axles, a different power class. How another manufacturer solved the same task is shown by the Henschel DHG 1200 BB, whose type name carries the divided running gear directly in its code.

Spotting: where rod-driven locomotives work

Shunting locomotives follow no timetable, but operational rhythms. Transfers between the industrial siding and the public network run at recurring times, tied to shifts and deliveries. Anyone wanting to see such a locomotive therefore looks not for the main line but for the interface.

Classic vantage points are level crossings on the siding line, public bridges over industrial tracks and footpaths alongside the railway installations. How to observe shunting operations systematically is described in the guide to spotting at a marshalling yard. For evaluating your finds afterwards, the article on the sighting log helps.

From rod drive to bogies

Rod drive hasn’t disappeared because it was bad, but because requirements shifted. This line of development can be traced through the manufacturers’ type programmes – and it explains why you can tell older and newer shunting locomotives apart at a glance.

With rod drive, all the axles are mechanically forced together. That’s robust and guarantees that the entire vehicle weight is available as adhesion weight. The price is moving masses that run less smoothly at speed, and a rigid wheelbase that quickly becomes too long for tight curves as more axles are added.

Once shunting locomotives were also expected to take on main-line runs – transfers over several kilometres, branch-line duty trips – these drawbacks became relevant. The answer was cardan-shaft drive and bogies: the power runs, protected, beneath the vehicle to axle gearboxes, the running gear splits into two pivoting groups, and both curve negotiation and ride quality improve markedly.

Visually the difference is unmistakable. On rod-driven locomotives you see a moving mechanism between the wheels and a continuous row of axles in the main frame. On bogie designs the area between the wheels stays empty, and you can make out two separate bogie frames beneath the vehicle.

For spotters this means: a glance between the wheels roughly places an unknown shunting locomotive in a generation. Older rod-driven types are becoming rarer as they leave active service and often move on to societies. All the more reason to log such an encounter with date, location and number – every documented sighting is evidence for a fleet that nobody else records systematically.

Common mix-ups

Conclusion

The MaK 1200 D is a model example of a design that only needs explaining once and is then recognisable everywhere. Four axles, a jackshaft, moving rods – that’s the classic answer to how to put high adhesion weight to use with simple technology. The type name tells you the power class and number of axles, and type code 98 places the vehicle operationally.