Key takeaways
- DE stands for diesel-electric: the diesel engine drives a generator that supplies power to the traction motors – there's no torque converter.
- The number is a power class: MaK sorted its types by a figure derived from engine power.
- Not a DB class: MaK DE 1002 is a manufacturer type designation, which you'll find on the builder's plate rather than as large digits on the front.
- Type code 98 marks the machine in the twelve-digit vehicle number as a shunting and light locomotive, not a main-line locomotive.
- Keeper, livery and location change often for such locomotives – always record the full number.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel locomotive for shunting and transfer service |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK), Kiel |
| Power transmission | diesel-electric – hence the "DE" in the type designation |
| Type of designation | manufacturer type designation, not a DB class number |
| UIC type code | 98 – diesel shunting and light locomotive |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Builder's plate on the cab or frame naming the manufacturer MaK and a builder's number
- Boxy body with a long bonnet and a tall, offset cab – the classic shunting locomotive silhouette
- Running boards with handrails all round, shunting steps at the corners
- Twelve-digit vehicle number beginning with type code 98
- Working on industrial, port or private-siding railways rather than in front of passenger trains
Updated: August 2026 – A boxy diesel locomotive with a long bonnet, an offset cab and a small metal plate on the frame: with vehicles like this, the road to the right designation runs not through the front end but through the manufacturer’s type logic. This page shows what MaK DE 1002 means, why the “DE” prefix is the most important part of it, and how to pin the machine down for good using its builder’s plate and vehicle number.
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What is the MaK DE 1002?
The MaK DE 1002 is a diesel-electric locomotive from Maschinenbau Kiel’s type programme, designed for shunting and transfer duties. The name isn’t a Deutsche Bahn class number but a manufacturer type designation – so you’ll find it on the builder’s plate and in keeper documentation, not as a large string of digits on the front of the vehicle. Kiel’s type programme was later carried on by Vossloh, which is why closely related machines carry different builder’s plates depending on their year of construction.
The designation splits into two parts. “DE” names the power transmission: diesel-electric. The number places the machine in a power class within the programme; MaK based these figures on engine power. That’s exactly where it differs from the firm’s “G” types such as the MaK G 1100 BB, which have a hydraulic torque converter between engine and axles.
Diesel-electric or diesel-hydraulic – why this is the core of the designation
For these vehicles, power transmission isn’t a detail for technical enthusiasts – it’s the organising principle of the entire type programme. Once you understand it, you can roughly place any MaK designation in seconds.
Read the letters before the number
If "DE" comes first, the locomotive is diesel-electric: diesel engine, generator, traction motors. If "G" comes first, the machine works diesel-hydraulically through a torque converter.
Understand the number as a power class
The figure sorts the type within the programme. It's a class feature – not a quantity built, a year of construction, or an axle count.
Note the letters after the number
Suffixes such as B, C or BB describe the wheel arrangement. Where the suffix is missing, only one thing helps: count the axles on the vehicle itself.
You’ll find the same structure in the firm’s smaller diesel-electric types, such as the MaK DE 501 and DE 502: same prefix, different power class.
A hearing test instead of a sighting test
Diesel-electric locomotives build up revs smoothly when starting off, with traction managed electrically. Diesel-hydraulic machines, by contrast, show clearly audible gear changes in the transmission. This doesn't replace proper identification, but it's a useful first clue if you can only hear the vehicle.
Identification via builder’s plate and vehicle number
With private keepers’ shunting locomotives, livery is the least reliable feature of all. Two sources on the vehicle are far more solid.
The builder’s plate carries the manufacturer’s name, builder’s number and usually the year built. It usually sits on the cab or frame and is often legible with a telephoto lens on a stationary vehicle. The twelve-digit vehicle number gives the official identity: on a German shunting locomotive it begins with type code 98, followed by the country code 80, a type block, the running number with a check digit, and the keeper marking in the form “D-…”. How this structure works in detail is explained in the guide to reading the UIC number and its check digit; where numbers are actually written on the vehicle is shown in the article on finding train and vehicle numbers.
Both sources complement each other: the builder’s number stays the same for the vehicle’s entire working life and still links old and new records even after a locomotive has changed keeper several times. The vehicle number, by contrast, tells you how the vehicle is administered today and who currently owns it. If you note only one of the two, you either lose the link to the past or the connection to the present. When in doubt: secure the number first, then look for the shot – the locomotive moves on, the note stays.
Where it fits into railway operations
The type code cleanly separates the roles: 98 marks shunting and light locomotives, 92 marks diesel main-line locomotives. This distinction tells you more about the expected location than any power figure.
| Feature | Type code 98 (shunting/light locomotive) | Type code 92 (diesel main-line locomotive) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Shunting, transfers, works traffic | Trains over longer distances |
| Usual setting | Industrial, port and private-siding railways | Main line network, freight yards |
| Speed profile | Low, many changes of direction | Continuous running |
| Visibility for spotters | Often limited, private property | Good, from public vantage points |
| How to identify | Builder’s plate and vehicle number | Often a class number as well |
Shunting locomotives work where trains are broken up and reformed. Anyone wanting to see them should look at the edges of such sites – points from which you can look in legally and safely. You can approach this systematically with the guide to spotting at marshalling yards.
Collect your shunting locomotive finds
Builder's number, vehicle number, date – logged in seconds in Traintrack and findable again later.
Spotting and photography: safety first
Shunting areas are among the most dangerous places in railway operations. Vehicles are moved without warning and without a signal, wagons run on after being propelled with no locomotive attached, and staff don’t expect bystanders in the track area. Industrial, port and private-siding railways are also private property.
No exceptions in the shunting area
Tracks, depots and sidings are off limits. Observe only from publicly accessible paths, bridges or platforms. Anyone needing access to operational land should ask the operator in writing beforehand – anything else is neither permitted nor responsible.
Photographically, these locomotives present their own challenge. They often stand between wagons, partly obscured, frequently backlit inside large sheds. A longer lens helps twice over: it bridges the distance and makes builder’s plates legible. Which focal lengths are realistic for this is covered in the guide to the best telephoto lens for railway photography. Ground rules on distance are set out in the article on safe distances at the track.
Common mix-ups
It points to a MaK locomotive if …
- the builder's plate names MaK as the manufacturer
- the vehicle number begins with 98 80
- the locomotive works in shunting or transfer service
- documents or markings name a type designation with "DE" or "G"
Look more closely if …
- the locomotive carries a company livery with no type designation at all
- you only see the side view and the plate isn't legible
- the body has been altered by conversion or re-engining
It isn't a MaK DE 1002 if …
- the builder's plate names a different manufacturer
- the type designation begins with "G" – that means it's diesel-hydraulic
- the vehicle number begins with 92, marking it as a main-line locomotive
There’s a risk of confusion mainly with visually similar shunting locomotives from other manufacturers, such as the Henschel DHG 700 C. How to approach unfamiliar vehicles methodically rather than guessing is described in the guide to identifying classes.
Conclusion
The MaK DE 1002 is a good example of how, with shunting locomotives, you don’t learn classes so much as a system. “DE” gives you the technology, the number the power class, the builder’s plate the identity, and the vehicle number the official confirmation. Anyone who keeps these four levels apart can identify even vehicles about which almost nothing is published.
In short
DE means diesel-electric, the number stands for the power class, and the truth is on the builder's plate. Keeper and livery change – builder's number and vehicle number don't.
Collect shunting locomotives systematically
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Summary
- The MaK DE 1002 belongs to the diesel-electric branch of Kiel's type programme and is built for shunting and transfer duties.
- Reliable identification runs through the builder's plate and the twelve-digit vehicle number, not the livery.
- Because private keepers sell and repaint these vehicles frequently, every sighting logged with date and number is worth more than a photo with no context.
- Shunting areas aren't a place for casual photography: observation only works from publicly accessible points.
Frequently asked questions
What does the DE in MaK DE 1002 mean?
DE stands for diesel-electric. The diesel engine doesn't drive a gear train, but a generator; its current supplies the traction motors on the axles. MaK used this to distinguish clearly from its "G" types, where power reaches the axles through a hydraulic torque converter. The designation therefore tells you first about the technology, not the location of use.
Is the MaK DE 1002 a DB class?
No. It is a manufacturer type designation. Vehicles of this type were and are mostly in service with private keepers, works and port railways. A three-digit DB class number such as 294 or 295 is therefore usually not carried – its official identity sits in the twelve-digit vehicle number.
How do I recognise a MaK locomotive in the field?
Most reliably by the builder's plate: a small metal plate on the cab or frame giving the manufacturer's name, builder's number and usually the year built. The shape and colour of the locomotive help little, since either can be changed at every change of keeper. A photo of the plate is often worth more with these vehicles than a photo of the whole locomotive.
What does type code 98 tell you?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number describe the vehicle type. 98 marks diesel shunting and light locomotives, while 92 stands for diesel main-line locomotives. So if you see a number starting 98 80, you're looking at a shunting or light locomotive registered in Germany.
How many axles does the MaK DE 1002 have?
You should count the axles on the vehicle itself rather than deduce them from the type designation. MaK used its own letter suffixes for wheel arrangement, such as B, C or BB, which are missing on some types or vary between production batches. Counting is always more reliable than guessing in shunting service.
Where am I allowed to photograph such locomotives?
Only from publicly accessible viewpoints. Industrial, port and private-siding railways are private property, and entering them without express permission is not permitted. There's also the danger: in the shunting area vehicles are moved without warning and without a signal. Keep to paths, bridges and platforms open to the general public.
Why do these locomotives' liveries change so often?
Private keepers' shunting locomotives are traded, hired out and passed on. Every change brings new markings, colours and often a new location too. So never rely on colour as an identifying feature – the builder's number and vehicle number stay, the livery doesn't.
How do I document a sighting properly?
Note the full twelve-digit vehicle number including keeper marking, date, time and location. Add the builder's number from the plate if possible. That's the difference between "saw a MaK" and a usable entry that can later be matched to a specific machine.
Log your sighting of the MaK DE 1002
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Related classes
MaK DE 501 / MaK DE 502
MaK DE 501 and DE 502 are small diesel-electric shunting locomotives from Kiel. For these, the builder's plate is the most reliable route to a firm identification.
ShunterMaK G 1100 BB
The MaK G 1100 BB is a diesel-hydraulic shunting and transfer locomotive from Kiel. The twelve-digit vehicle number is the key to identifying it for certain.
Diesel locoMaK G 1206
The MaK G 1206 is a four-axle centre-cab locomotive for freight and heavy shunting duties – and turns up almost everywhere on private railways.
ShunterKrauss-Maffei ME 05
The Krauss-Maffei ME 05 belongs to the small shunting vehicles. If you know the German light-locomotive system, you can confidently classify such locomotives even without a data sheet.
ShunterKrauss-Maffei MH 05
The Krauss-Maffei MH 05 is a small diesel shunting locomotive. Many vehicles of this size now operate under radio remote control – with visible effects on identification.
ShunterKrauss-Maffei ML 440 C
The Krauss-Maffei ML 440 C is a three-axle diesel shunting locomotive. If you can read the twelve-digit vehicle number, you can correctly classify such locomotives in seconds.
Who is behind it
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