Key takeaways
- The final digit is a stage, not a random number: 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205 and 1206 follow one another within the same power class.
- G means diesel-hydraulic, whereas DE means diesel-electric – the letter decides the entire drive technology.
- BB means two two-axle bogies and is the only part of the designation you can count directly.
- Type code 98 marks the vehicle as a shunting and light locomotive, unlike code 92 for main-line locomotives.
- The builder's plate decides between the stages – from the outside they're barely distinguishable.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel locomotive for shunting and transfer duties |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK), Kiel |
| Power transmission | diesel-hydraulic – the letter "G" denotes the gearbox design |
| Axle arrangement per type suffix | BB – two two-axle bogies |
| Position in the type programme | 1200-series power class, design stage per final digit |
| UIC type code | 98 – diesel shunting and light locomotive |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Four axles in two bogies, type suffix BB
- Bonnet layout with an off-centre cab and sight lines to both sides
- Builder's plate with the manufacturer name MaK and works number
- Twelve-digit vehicle number, beginning with the type code 98
- Shunter's steps and a continuous handrail as marks of the shunting-oriented body style
Updated: August 2026 – 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206: this run of numbers looks arbitrary until you know how MaK sorted its types. The MaK G 1205 BB is a late stage within a family that was developed over years. This page shows how to read the designation, what differs between the stages – and where the limits lie for what you can actually tell from the vehicle itself.
Identified the type? Then secure the find.
With shunting locomotives, the number counts, not memory – log it directly in Traintrack.
What is the MaK G 1205 BB?
The MaK G 1205 BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive from the type programme of Maschinenbau Kiel, built for shunting and transfer duties. Its designation is fully readable: “G” for the design with hydraulic power transmission, “12xx” for the 1200-series power class, the final digit for the design stage, “BB” for two two-axle bogies.
It stands, then, in a line with the MaK G 1204 BB before it and the MaK G 1206 after it. Some of the later vehicles in this family were even carried as their own NVR class – see the Class 275.
Reading the type number as a development sequence
Unlike a class number, a MaK type number is no mere label. It encodes a position in the programme – and in two dimensions at once.
The leading digits: power class
They place the type within a size range in the programme. MaK based these figures on engine power.
The final digit: design stage
Within the same class, it counts successive developments. A higher final digit means a later stage.
The letter before it: power transmission
"G" stands for diesel-hydraulic with a hydrodynamic gearbox, "DE" for diesel-electric with a generator and traction motors.
The suffix after it: axle arrangement
BB means two two-axle bogies, C three coupled axles in a rigid frame, B two. That's the only part you can count yourself.
You can spot the family, not the stage
From a distance you can reliably tell whether a four-axle MaK shunting locomotive of the 1200 family is in front of you. Whether it's the 1203, 1204 or 1205 stage, though, is decided by the builder's plate. Be honest when captioning your photos: "MaK G 12xx BB" is a correct statement, a guessed final digit isn't.
Placing it in railway operations
The type code at the start of the twelve-digit vehicle number sorts vehicles by their duty. The following overview shows roughly how codes 90 to 99 are grouped and where the 1200 family sits.
| Type code | Vehicle type | What it means for observation |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | Steam locomotives and special cases | mostly heritage use, special workings |
| 91 | Electric main-line locomotives | passenger and freight service on the line |
| 92 | Diesel main-line locomotives | trains over longer distances |
| 97 | Electric shunting locomotives | rare, mostly tied to a fixed location |
| 98 | Diesel shunting and light locomotives | sidings, ports, shunting facilities |
For the G 1205 BB, that makes its place clear: 98 is where it belongs. It works wherever wagons are delivered, collected and trains are formed – not on through main-line duties. How the full twelve-digit number is built up is explained in the guide to the UIC number and its check digit.
Recognised the family, stage still open?
Note down what you know for certain and add to it later – Traintrack lets you refine entries at any time.
Spotting: from the family to the machine
In practice, identifying locomotives like this runs in four steps, and each step needs different conditions.
- Count the axles. Works from a great distance and in poor light. Four axles in two bogies rule out the C types.
- Place the body style. Bonnet, cab position, running boards and handrail reveal the shunting-oriented layout.
- Read the builder’s plate. Needs focal length and a stationary vehicle. Gives you the manufacturer, works number and usually the year built.
- Note the vehicle number. Needs a clear side. Gives you the official identity and the current keeper.
Shunting areas are especially dangerous
Vehicles there are moved without warning and without a signal, uncoupled wagons roll on without a locomotive, radio-controlled locomotives run with an unoccupied cab. Works, port and siding railways are also private property and must not be entered without permission. Observe only from publicly accessible paths, bridges and platforms.
How to set up this step-by-step process of elimination in general is described in the guide to identifying classes; suitable locations at facilities with shunting operation are covered in the guide to spotting at marshalling yards.
What the type designation explicitly doesn’t tell you
As much as a MaK designation delivers, it’s just as worth being clear about what it doesn’t contain. This is exactly where most incorrect statements in sighting lists and captions come from.
A type designation says nothing about the year built. A type was built over several years; two locomotives with the same designation can have delivery dates far apart. It says nothing about the number built. How many machines of a type were made isn’t stated on the vehicle or in the designation. It says nothing about the keeper. Vehicles of this size class are traded, leased and relocated, for instance via lessors such as On Rail; the current owner is given by the keeper marking in the vehicle number, not the type name. And it says nothing about the gauge, because shunting locomotives were built to customer requirements.
What it does reliably deliver is a short technical profile: type of power transmission, power class, development stage and axle arrangement. That’s enough for a clean identification – and you shouldn’t ask more of a designation than that.
For practice, that means: note down what you can support, and leave the rest open. A caption reading “MaK G 12xx BB, vehicle number …, seen on …” is correct and verifiable. One with a guessed year built and estimated power isn’t – and by being copied it spreads into further sources, where it eventually gets treated as established fact. This restraint isn’t a limitation for shunting locomotives – it’s the difference between useful and misleading documentation.
Common mix-ups
It fits the 1200 family if …
- four axles run in two bogies
- the builder's plate names MaK as the manufacturer
- the type designation begins with "G 12"
- the vehicle number begins with 98 80
Look more closely if …
- you want to determine the final digit and so the design stage
- the locomotive has been rebuilt, re-engined or repainted after a rebuild
- only an internal operating number is marked on it
It isn't a G 1205 BB if …
- three axles run in a rigid frame
- the designation begins with "DE", indicating diesel-electric technology
- the vehicle number starts with 92, marking a main-line locomotive
Conclusion
The MaK G 1205 BB shows, by example, how much a type designation can deliver once you know its logic – and where it hits its limits. Drive type, power class, development stage and axle arrangement all sit in four characters. Which stage exactly stands in front of you, though, is still settled by the builder’s plate in the end. That honesty is exactly what separates a good sighting note from a guessed one.
In short
G is the drive type, 12xx the power class, the final digit the stage, BB the running gear. You spot the family from a distance – the stage only with a look at the builder's plate.
Collect the whole family
With Traintrack you can see which types of the 1200 series you've already documented – and which you're still missing.
Summary
- The MaK G 1205 BB is a late design stage of the 1200 series from Kiel's type programme.
- The type designation is fully readable and, for these vehicles, replaces the missing class number.
- A reliable separation of the stages only succeeds via the builder's plate or documentation, not appearance.
- Keeper, livery and location are subject to change and should always be checked against the current state.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly does MaK G 1205 BB mean?
G stands for the diesel-hydraulic design with a hydrodynamic gearbox, the number for the 1200-series power class of the Kiel type programme, the final digit for the design stage within that class, and BB for two two-axle bogies. So the designation describes drive type, size class and running gear in a single expression.
How do the 1202 to 1206 stages differ?
They belong to the same power class and were developed one after another. Which structural changes belong to which stage can't be read off a parked vehicle – decades of rebuilding come on top of that. For a reliable identification you need the builder's plate or vehicle documentation, not the eye.
Is the G 1206 the same as the G 1205?
No, the G 1206 is a later stage of the same power class and became far better known. Some of these vehicles were even carried as their own NVR classes. For identification that means: recognise the family first, then work out the stage – in that order.
Why doesn't the locomotive carry a class number?
Because it isn't a state railway locomotive. MaK types are manufacturer's type designations; vehicles of this kind mostly run at private keepers, industrial railways and port railways. The official identifier is the twelve-digit vehicle number, which for a German shunting locomotive begins with 98 80 and ends with the keeper marking.
How do I count the axles correctly?
From the side, with as clear a view of the running gear as possible. Count the axles and check whether they sit in a shared rigid frame or in two moving bogies. BB means four axles in two bogies, C means three axles in a rigid frame. That's the fastest initial sort of all.
How do I tell whether a locomotive actually comes from Kiel?
By the builder's plate. It usually sits on the side of the cab or on the frame and names the manufacturer, the works number and, as a rule, the year of construction. A frame-filling photo of this plate is often more valuable than a perfect full view for shunting locomotives, because it settles the identification for good.
Where am I most likely to see locomotives like this?
In transfer and shunting service: at industrial sidings, in ports, at transhipment terminals and at the edges of larger railway facilities. You won't find them in front of passenger trains. Their duties follow the needs of the connected business and appear in no published timetable.
How reliable is information on keeper and livery?
Only as a snapshot. Shunting locomotives owned by private keepers are traded, leased and repainted at every major overhaul. Always check the current state via community sightings before a planned trip, rather than relying on older lists.
Log your sighting of the MaK G 1205 BB
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
MaK G 1204 BB
The MaK G 1204 BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive. Its home is sidings, works and port railways – with their own rules for observers.
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.
Diesel locoClass 275
Class 275 covers four-axle diesel locomotives of the MaK/Vossloh G 1206 type. Here's how to read the vehicle number and recognise the bodyshell in freight traffic.
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.
ShunterKrupp 350 PS
Krupp 350 PS is not a class, but a power rating used as a collective name. How to make sense of such designations and where their limits lie is explained here.
ShunterLEW V 100
The LEW V 100 from Hennigsdorf still shapes the operations of many private railways today. Rebuilds and re-engining make identifying it both interesting – and tricky.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Related guides from the blog
