Key takeaways
- The G 6 is a three-axle shunting loco: three powered axles in a rigid frame – that's the quickest and most reliable identification feature.
- Kiel design tradition: the G series continues the line of classic MaK shunting locos, although the naming logic has changed.
- Type code 98 in the vehicle number places it among diesel shunting locomotives and separates it from main-line locos (92).
- Location rather than timetable: exchange sidings, private sidings, ports and works are its territory – not the long-distance platform.
- Keeper and livery change all the time, because shunting locos are hired out, sold and moved around. Every detail about this is a snapshot.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Locomotive works in Kiel, successor to MaK |
| Wheel arrangement | C – three powered axles in a rigid frame |
| Class | Manufacturer type of the Vossloh G series, no DB class number |
| UIC type code | 98 – diesel shunting or small locomotive |
| Typical use | Shunting and trip working for private railways, industrial railways and ports |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Three axles in a rigid frame – no bogies, no four-axle running gear
- Centrally mounted cab with a long and a short bonnet
- Handrails all round, shunter's steps and grab rails at both ends
- Modern, smooth-sided bonnets with large maintenance doors instead of a riveted old-style look
- Vehicle number begins with 98; vehicle keeper marking and livery vary by owner
- Type marking G 6 without a trailing wheel arrangement letter
Updated: August 2026 – A stocky diesel loco with three axles, a central cab and a company livery, pushing tank wagons along an exchange siding: that’s the typical image of the Vossloh G 6. It belongs to the modern generation of three-axle shunting locomotives built in Kiel – and is much easier to identify than its changing colours would suggest.
Spotted a shunter? Record its number and keeper.
With shunting locos, colour and owner change faster than with any main-line loco – document it in Traintrack while it's in front of you.
What is the Vossloh G 6?
The Vossloh G 6 is a diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive with three powered axles in a rigid frame. It’s built by Vossloh at the Kiel locomotive works, the successor to Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) – a works that shaped German shunting loco development for decades and whose owners have changed several times.
Operationally, that places the G 6 clearly: it’s a machine for shunting and trip duties. Its job is distributing wagons between the network, private sidings and industrial sites, not hauling through freight trains over hundreds of kilometres. That’s exactly what determines its design, its equipment and the places where you can realistically find it.
Three axles in a frame: the decisive feature
With shunting locos, looking at the running gear gets you there fastest. Three axles without bogies are a strong signal that can be seen from a distance – and they rule out a whole range of other designs.
Quick identification: which shunter is that?
Three-axle shunting loco – candidate G 6
Three axles in the frame, central cab, trip working: that fits the G 6 and its Kiel predecessors. The type marking and vehicle number confirm it.
Four-axle main-line diesel loco
Two bogies and train workings on the open line argue against a pure shunting loco. Check whether the vehicle number begins with 92.
Small loco or industrial loco
Two axles and a very short frame point to a small locomotive. Here the manufacturer type on the builder's plate settles it.
The systematic order in which to work through such features is explained in the guide to identifying classes. It works even when a vehicle doesn’t carry a class number at all.
From the MaK heritage to modern naming logic
If you know older Kiel shunting locos, the G 6’s designation will trip you up. The reason: the naming scheme has changed, and at a point that matters for identification.
| Part of the designation | Older MaK types | Newer G series |
|---|---|---|
| Letter at the front | G for the diesel loco family | G for the diesel loco family |
| Number | Code from the works scheme | Code from the works scheme |
| Letter at the end | Wheel arrangement, e.g. C or BB | dropped |
| Consequence for you | Number of axles can be read from the name | Number of axles must be counted on the vehicle |
In practice that means: on a MaK G 500 C, the appended C already reveals the three axles, and on a MaK G 1204 BB the BB reveals the two bogies. With the G 6 this clue is missing – so counting the axles here isn’t a beginner’s step but the actual key.
See which shunting locos are being reported right now
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Where the G 6 works – and how to find it
Shunting locos follow freight traffic, not the passenger timetable. For your search that means: focus on exchange sidings, private siding railways, port areas and industrial sites. Railway-owned shunting classes such as the Class 294 are also active there – the territories overlap, the vehicles don’t.
Trip workings often run at recurring times because they’re tied to works shifts and connecting trains. If you document a few occasions, you’ll quickly recognise this pattern. Which freight flows come into question at all and how to roughly follow their progress is described in the article on tracking freight trains.
One point that regularly confuses newcomers: with shunting locos, the livery says almost nothing about the design. These vehicles often belong to leasing companies, construction firms or small railway operators and change keeper several times during their lives. Service providers for industrial and private siding railways such as AnschlussBahnProfis also use such machines. A machine you photographed in company colours last year may be running in a different livery today – the same loco, a completely different picture.
So only three things remain reliable: the design, the number of axles and the vehicle number. If you stick to this order when identifying, you’ll get it right even when the loco has just come out of the paint shop. And if you note the livery anyway, you’ll later have additional information about the vehicle’s operating history – provided the date is written next to it.
Shunting areas are not observation points
In shunting, vehicles move off without warning, wagons that have been pushed off roll almost silently, and staff work right next to the vehicles. Track layouts, works sites and depots are private property and off limits to observers – even where there's no fence. Observe only from publicly accessible ground at a sufficient distance.
Photo tips for three-axle shunting locos
Shunting locos are rewarding to photograph because they move slowly and often stand still. The difficulty lies elsewhere: tight surroundings, fences, backlight.
Include the running gear
The frame should show all three axles. Cropping too tightly makes the most important information useless.
Choose a three-quarter view
An angle of around 30 to 45 degrees shows the front end and bodyside at the same time – so bonnets, cab and markings stay legible.
Anticipate movement rather than wait for it
Shunting moves are unpredictable. Set exposure and focus in advance instead of adjusting at the decisive moment.
Capture the markings separately
Vehicle number, vehicle keeper marking and type marking as a separate shot. That decides later which machine you really had.
The basic technique – plane of focus, exposure, composition – is covered in the guide to good photos of trains.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It points to a G 6 if …
- you count three axles in a rigid frame
- the cab sits in the middle between two bonnets
- the type marking reads G 6 without a wheel arrangement letter
- the vehicle number begins with 98
Look more closely if …
- the loco carries a pure company livery without a type marking
- an older three-axle Kiel machine is in the picture – similar silhouette, different details
- modifications such as radio remote control or additional structures change its appearance
It's not a G 6 if …
- you count two bogies and four axles
- the vehicle number begins with 92 – then it's a main-line diesel loco
- the number begins with 99 or working platforms are fitted – then it's a departmental vehicle
Conclusion
The Vossloh G 6 is one of those vehicles where a single glance is enough, as long as you know where to look: three axles, rigid frame, central cab. The rest – livery, keeper, location – is changeable and belongs in your notes with a date. If you get into that habit, over the years you’ll build up documentation of shunting locos that hardly anyone else keeps.
In short
Three axles in the frame and a central cab: that's the G 6. A vehicle number with a leading 98 and the type marking confirm the identification; everything else is a snapshot.
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Summary
- The Vossloh G 6 belongs to the modern generation of three-axle diesel shunting locomotives built in Kiel.
- Number of axles, type of running gear and the type marking on the vehicle are enough for identification.
- It works where wagons are distributed: at exchange sidings, private sidings and on port railways.
- If you want to document it, plan your viewpoint outside the track and shunting area.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Vossloh G 6?
The G 6 is a diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive with three powered axles in a rigid frame, built at the Kiel locomotive works. It belongs to the manufacturer's G series and is designed for shunting and trip duties – i.e. short distances with high tractive effort, not fast main-line work.
What's the quickest way to recognise the G 6?
Count the axles and look at the running gear: three axles, carried directly in the frame, without bogies. Add a centrally mounted cab between two bonnets of different lengths. That immediately rules out four-axle locos with two bogies.
What does the G in the type designation mean?
It comes from the works scheme of the Kiel locomotive factory and identifies its family of diesel locomotives. With the older MaK types, the number was followed by a letter for the wheel arrangement, such as C for three axles. With the newer designations like G 6 this suffix is missing – you have to count the wheel arrangement on the vehicle.
Where is the Vossloh G 6 used?
In shunting and trip working: at private sidings, in ports, with private railways and industrial railways. Which companies are currently using which machines shifts constantly through hire, sale and new traffic – so check current sightings rather than older fleet lists.
Why does the vehicle number begin with 98?
The first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number are the UIC type code. 98 stands for diesel shunting and small locomotives, 92 for main-line diesel locomotives and 99 for departmental and ancillary vehicles. The code describes the operational role and is independent of manufacturer and keeper.
What distinguishes the G 6 from a four-axle shunting loco?
Above all the running gear. Three-axle locos like the G 6 carry all their axles in a rigid frame and are correspondingly short and manoeuvrable. Four-axle types with two bogies – recognisable by the BB wheel arrangement – are longer, heavier and designed for heavier loads. A look at the running gear settles that in seconds.
Can you see the G 6 at a normal station?
Possibly, but it's not the norm. Most likely where exchange sidings or private siding railways border directly on a station. Its real territory is works sites, ports and shunting yards – areas that observers can only access from outside.
Why do G 6s look so different from one another?
Because the livery comes from the keeper, not the manufacturer. Shunting locos carry company colours, hire liveries or plain warning paint, and that changes when the keeper changes. What stays constant are the design, the number of axles and the vehicle number – that's what you should go by when identifying one.
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Related classes
MaK G 500 C
The MaK G 500 C is a three-axle shunting locomotive from Kiel. The letter C is the key – it describes the running gear and clearly sets the type apart.
ShunterMaK 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.
ShunterClass 294
The 294 is the radio-remote-controlled variant of the V 90: same design, different fitting-out status. Why that matters for safety in shunting areas.
ShunterKrauss-Maffei M 800 BB
The Krauss-Maffei M 800 BB is a four-axle diesel shunting locomotive on two bogies. Why the horsepower figure only tells half the story is explained here.
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.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
AnschlussBahnProfis
Behind every factory gate with a rail connection sits a small railway operation with its own rulebook, its own staff and usually one ageing shunting locomotive. AnschlussBahnProfis is one of the service providers that looks after exactly this area – without building vehicles itself or running trains over the public network.
ManufacturerInterlok Bahnconsulting
A railway undertaking needs more than a locomotive: a safety certificate, an operations manager, a rulebook, emergency management. Rail-consulting outfits like Interlok supply exactly these building blocks – which is why four or five companies regularly stand behind a single train working.
ManufacturerKSV Kompetenz für Schienengebundene Verkehre
The most visible part of rail freight is the locomotive. The most labour-intensive part is what happens next to it: shunting, coupling, brake testing, wagon inspection. Service providers like KSV supply exactly this staff – and that's why they never show up on any sighting list.
ManufacturerVossloh
In spotting logs, Vossloh stands for a whole family of diesel locomotives – and today builds not a single one any more. The company has long since shifted to rail fastening, points and rail machining. The G-locos keep running regardless, under new owners.
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