Key takeaways
- G 1300 BB means: diesel-hydraulic, 1300-series power class, four axles in two bogies.
- The continuous air brake is the backbone: it acts through the brake pipe on every connected vehicle.
- Not all wagons are braked while shunting – hence the low speeds and the strict safety requirements.
- Type code 98 marks the machine as a shunting and light locomotive, not a main-line locomotive with code 92.
- Keeper and livery are snapshots, but the works number and vehicle number aren't.
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 |
| 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
- Brake hoses and air reservoirs visible beneath the frame
- Shunter's steps at the corners, continuous grab rails and a running-board handrail
- Builder's plate with the manufacturer name MaK and works number
- Vehicle number begins with the type code 98
Updated: August 2026 – You can’t see a shunting locomotive’s engine, and certainly not its gearbox. What you can see are hoses, air reservoirs and brake blocks – and they explain more about the operation than any power figure. This page places the MaK G 1300 BB and uses it as an example of how brakes work in shunting service and why that leads to strict safety rules.
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What is the MaK G 1300 BB?
The MaK G 1300 BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive from the type programme of Maschinenbau Kiel for shunting and transfer duties. The designation follows the familiar Kiel system: “G” for the design with hydraulic power transmission, the number for the 1300-series power class, “BB” for two two-axle bogies. Kiel’s type programme was later continued by Vossloh, which is why closely related machines carry different builder’s plates depending on the year of construction.
At the lower end, it borders the MaK G 1100 BB and the 1200 family around the MaK G 1205 BB. At the state railway, duties of this size are handled by classes such as the Class 295 – there, though, with a three-digit class number instead of a manufacturer’s designation.
Brakes in shunting service: what you can actually see
On shunting vehicles, the brake isn’t just a safety feature – it’s the element that shapes the whole operation.
The continuous brake pipe
It connects every vehicle in the consist. If pressure drops, the whole train brakes. A break in the pipe causes braking – not failure.
The brake hoses
The hoses next to the coupler hook are the visible connection. If they hang in their bracket rather than on the neighbouring vehicle, the brake isn't continuous there.
The locomotive brake alone
While shunting, not all wagons are often connected. Then the locomotive has to brake the train on its own – which limits the speed considerably.
Securing while stationary
To stop parked vehicles rolling away, they're additionally secured. Without this, even a slight gradient is enough.
Why uncoupled wagons are so dangerous
In shunting operation, wagons are pushed and then uncoupled so they carry on rolling without a locomotive. Such a wagon has no driver, makes hardly any noise and gives no warning. On top of that come radio-controlled locomotives with an unoccupied cab. Shunting facilities are therefore no place for bystanders – and works, port and siding railways are also private property.
What this means for distances and choosing a location is covered in the article on safe distances at the track.
Placing it in railway operations
The type code at the start of the twelve-digit vehicle number separates shunting from main-line vehicles. The following overview shows how that shows up in everyday practice.
| Aspect | Shunting move (type code 98) | Train working (type code 92) |
|---|---|---|
| Brake | often only partly continuous | continuous throughout the whole train |
| Speed | low, frequent stops | designed for line operation |
| Direction of travel | changes constantly | mostly consistent |
| Signalling | shunting signals, radio | train signals and line protection |
| Location | siding, port, shunting facility | main line, freight yards |
Details nobody else notes down
Markings, keeper marking, brake equipment: Traintrack keeps your observations together in one entry.
Spotting and photography
Shunting locomotives move slowly. That takes technical pressure off the photography – short shutter speeds are rarely needed – but shifts the difficulty onto composition and light.
- Wait for the movement. A locomotive pulling away shows the clear side wall, number and data panel for a few seconds.
- Choose a three-quarter view. Roughly 30 to 45 degrees to the vehicle’s axis shows the bonnet, cab and running gear together.
- Include the running gear in the frame. Bogies, brake blocks and air reservoirs are the real information on vehicles like this.
- Take detail shots separately. The builder’s plate and data panel carry the identification and shouldn’t get lost by zooming into the full view.
The underlying technique – composition, exposure, plane of focus – is covered in the guide taking good photos of trains. Location criteria for facilities with shunting operation are covered in the guide to spotting at marshalling yards.
Why reliable figures for this type are hard to come by
Anyone looking up a well-known main-line class finds numbers built, years, power figures and top speeds in every overview. For shunting locomotives from manufacturer programmes, the source material is fundamentally thinner – and there are reasons for that worth knowing before taking figures from forums at face value.
These machines were built in small batches, often to the requirements of a single customer. They ran for decades on non-public tracks, for which neither timetables nor diagrams are published. Engines were swapped, cabs altered, radio equipment fitted retrospectively, brakes rebuilt. Two locomotives with the same type designation can therefore differ noticeably in detail – and because many vehicles changed owner more than once, conflicting information about one and the same machine often circulates.
For you, that leads to a clear working method: record what’s written on the vehicle, and claim nothing beyond that. Number of axles, arrangement in bogies or a rigid frame, markings, works number and vehicle number are all verifiable. Guessed years built, estimated power figures and second-hand numbers built, on the other hand, don’t belong in a sighting note.
That’s exactly why the profile on this page is deliberately kept short. It contains what can be derived beyond doubt from the type designation and vehicle system – nothing more. Anyone needing more detail finds the answer on the vehicle itself: on the builder’s plate. A sharp photo of it is the single most valuable shot for this group of vehicles.
Common mix-ups
It fits the G 1300 BB if …
- four axles run in two bogies
- the builder's plate names MaK as the manufacturer
- the locomotive is working in shunting or transfer service
- the vehicle number begins with 98 80
Look more closely if …
- you want to tell the 1100, 1200 and 1300 classes apart
- rebuilding has changed the bonnet, cab or engine
- only an internal operating number is marked on it
It isn't a G 1300 BB if …
- three axles run in a rigid frame – then it's a C type
- the designation begins with "DE", indicating diesel-electric technology
- the vehicle number starts with 92, marking a main-line locomotive
Conclusion
There’s the usual caveat that always has to be kept in mind for this group of vehicles: keeper, livery and location change constantly. Shunting locomotives owned by private keepers are sold, leased and moved between sites, and repainted and relabelled at every major overhaul. Any information about them – on this page as in any other source – is therefore a snapshot with a limited shelf life. Only what stays permanently on the vehicle or can be counted there remains reliable: the works number on the builder’s plate and the structural features you can count on the vehicle yourself. Check the current state via fresh community sightings before planning a trip.
The MaK G 1300 BB is a vehicle you can say little that’s reliable about in figures – and a great deal that’s reliable about in structure. The type designation gives you drive type, power class and running gear, the brake equipment explains the operation, and the twelve-digit number gives the identity. That’s more than enough for a clean identification.
In short
Four axles in bogies, diesel-hydraulic, type code 98. And the brake explains the rest: in shunting service it's rarely fully braked throughout – hence slow, hence dangerous, hence keep your distance.
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Summary
- The MaK G 1300 BB belongs to the diesel-hydraulic line of Kiel's type programme, in the 1300-series power class.
- Brake equipment and brake types explain key quirks of shunting operations.
- Identification relies on axle arrangement, builder's plate and the twelve-digit vehicle number.
- Observation is only permitted, and only sensible, from publicly accessible locations.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation MaK G 1300 BB mean?
G stands for the diesel-hydraulic design with a hydrodynamic gearbox, the number places the locomotive in the 1300-series power class of the Kiel type programme, and BB denotes two two-axle bogies with four axles in total. The designation therefore describes drive type, size class and running gear – not the year built or the operator.
How does the continuous air brake work?
Via a brake pipe that runs through the whole train. If the pressure in this pipe drops, every connected vehicle brakes. The system is deliberately designed so that a break in the pipe causes braking rather than brake failure. The hoses next to the coupler hook are the visible connection between two vehicles.
Why is shunting done so slowly?
Because while shunting, not all vehicles are often connected to the continuous brake. Braking power then comes mostly from the locomotive itself. That severely limits the permitted speed and is one of the reasons why shunting movements work differently from train runs.
What are uncoupled wagons?
Wagons that are pushed and then uncoupled so they carry on rolling without a locomotive. For outsiders, that's the most dangerous situation of all: a rolling wagon makes hardly any noise, has no driver and gives no warning. So keep well clear of tracks in shunting facilities.
Can you tell the brake equipment by looking at the locomotive?
Partly. Brake hoses next to the coupler hook, air reservoirs beneath the frame and brake blocks on the running gear are visible from the side. Which brake types are fitted in detail, though, is in the markings and documentation, not the silhouette. A close-up of the data panel helps more here than a full view.
Is the MaK G 1300 BB a DB class?
No, it's a manufacturer's type designation. Vehicles of this type mostly run at private keepers, industrial railways and port railways. They generally don't carry a three-digit class number; what matters is the twelve-digit vehicle number, which on German shunting locomotives begins with 98 80.
Where do you come across machines like this?
In shunting and transfer service: at industrial sidings, in ports, at transhipment terminals and at the edges of larger railway facilities. You won't see them in front of passenger trains. Because their duties follow the needs of the connected business, community sightings are more useful for planning than any timetable enquiry.
What belongs in a reliable sighting note?
Date, time, location, the full twelve-digit vehicle number including the keeper marking and, if legible, the works number from the builder's plate. Add a brief note on the activity. For vehicles with no published diagram, your note is often the only source that documents this working.
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Related classes
MaK 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.
ShunterMaK G 1205 BB
The MaK G 1205 BB belongs to the 1200 series from Kiel. The final digit of the type number is the key: it separates successive design stages.
ShunterClass 295
Class 295 belongs to the V 90 family and works in heavy transfer duty. Here's how to tell it apart from 290, 294 and 296 – and how to photograph it properly.
ShunterMaK 1200 D
The MaK 1200 D is a four-axle shunting locomotive with rod drive in a rigid frame. Its most striking feature runs openly between the wheels.
ShunterMaK 240 B / MaK 240 C
MaK 240 B and 240 C share the same power class but differ in their running gear. The letter in the type name tells you how many axles are at work.
ShunterMaK 450 C
The MaK 450 C is a three-axle shunting locomotive in a rigid frame. Its coupling gear and shunting equipment reveal a lot about its work.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
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