Voith Gravita 10BB

Updated: August 2026 – A modern red four-axle loco with its cab in the middle and a bonnet in front and behind, moving wagons around in a freight yard: that’s the Voith Gravita 10BB, listed at DB as Class 261. This page shows you how to recognise it, what the type code means and what you need to watch out for when observing shunting.

What is the Voith Gravita 10BB?

The Gravita 10BB is a four-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive for shunting and trip working, built by Voith Turbo Lokomotivtechnik at its Kiel works. At DB it runs as Class 261. It was procured to replace older four-axle locos in heavy shunting and trip working – with modern engine technology, a current emissions stage and a cab that meets today’s requirements.

Conceptually, it deliberately builds on proven patterns: centre cab, two bonnets of unequal length, four powered axles. This layout became established in shunting because it combines a view in both directions with enough space for the engine and cooling system.

How the type code works

How to work through such features in the right order is shown in the guide to identifying classes. The structure of the twelve-digit vehicle number is explained in the article on the UIC number and its check digit.

Why a new generation of shunting locos was needed

For decades, shunting and trip working were handled by vehicles dating from the 1960s and 1970s. These machines are robust and proven in service – but they come up against limits that have nothing to do with tractive effort:

• Emissions and noise regulations have become stricter. Older engines no longer meet current stages.
• Spare parts for assemblies from the original era are becoming scarce and expensive.
• Workplace requirements for cabs – visibility, ergonomics, noise, air conditioning – are different today.
• Radio remote control is standard in modern shunting and can only be retrofitted with some effort.

Specialist service providers such as STORM Lok-Dieselmotorenservice also work on keeping the old engines going. These are exactly the points the Gravita generation addresses. The traction concept deliberately remains conventional: diesel-hydraulic, four powered axles, centre cab. The main developments are in the engine, exhaust aftertreatment, control system and workplace.

For spotters, this generational change is the really exciting part. Old and new designs work side by side, often in the same station, sometimes even in the same diagrams. How long that remains the case depends on the delivery of new vehicles and on the deadlines for the older classes. If you document both generations in the same picture today, you’re capturing a situation that won’t exist in this form in a few years – a subject that’s worth it if the opportunity arises.

Its place in railway operation

Area of use	Chance of a sighting	Why
Freight yards and shunting areas	high	Core task of the class
Trip workings to private sidings	high	100 km/h is enough for main-line runs with groups of wagons
Serving industrial sidings	medium	Access often restricted, observation from outside
Engineering trains and special workings	low to medium	Happens, but not the rule
Passenger services	very low	Not a task for this type

You’ll find the more powerful sister variant as the Voith Gravita 15L BB. With private operators, comparable tasks are mainly handled by the MaK G 1206. The previous generation in DB shunting service is made up of machines such as the Class 294 and the Class 290.

Spotting and safety in shunting areas

Shunting doesn’t follow a published timetable. Vehicles stand still for a long time and then move off without warning – often under radio remote control, with nobody in the cab. That gives you a clear order of priorities for observing.

• Public viewpoint first. Road bridges, level crossings and paths along the edge of the site usually offer enough of a view.
• Never assume the direction of movement. An apparently stabled loco can move off in either direction. Operational railway land and tracks are always off limits.
• Allow time. In shunting, good shots come during waiting times, not in windows of seconds.
• Photograph the data panel separately. That keeps the identification unambiguous even if the loco is partly hidden in the picture.

Photographically the effort pays off, because shunting locos are rarely documented on the move. Most pictures of these vehicles show stabled machines against the light. A 261 at work – with a group of wagons, a shunter on the train and visible operations – is far more telling, and is most likely to succeed in the quieter phases in the late morning, when trip workings are being made up.

How to observe such sites sensibly is shown in the guide to spotting at marshalling yards. Why keeping a safe distance from the track is non-negotiable is explained in the article on safe distances from the track. Industrial, port and private siding railways are also private property: enter only with the operator’s express permission.

Common mix-ups

Conclusion

The Gravita 10BB is the current generation in German shunting and trip working and therefore a loco you see more often than you’d think – just not at passenger platforms. Centre cab, four axles and a number in the 261 range lead you to the right answer in seconds. More important than identification in the shunting environment, however, is the basic rule: observe from outside, keep your distance, stay away from operational railway land.