Key takeaways
- Two builds, one job: Type 92 and Type 93 serve lines without overhead wire, where electric multiple units can't go.
- Type 93 belongs to the Talent family: the articulated set with Jacobs bogies is the most reliable family trait.
- Quickest test: look at the roof. No pantograph and no overhead wire means diesel traction.
- Operator names are changeable: transport contracts go out to tender – the type number stays, the logo doesn't.
- No regular service in Germany: sightings only happen while travelling.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel railcar for lines without overhead wire |
|---|---|
| Designation system | "Type 92" and "Type 93" – Norwegian multiple units carry "Type" plus a number |
| Short form | BM 92 and BM 93, from the Norwegian "motorvogn" for railcar |
| Manufacturer | Düwag (Type 92) and Bombardier (Type 93) |
| Vehicle family, Type 93 | Bombardier Talent |
| Traction | diesel-powered – no pantograph |
| Gauge | 1435 mm standard gauge |
| Operator | depends on contract award, changes with transport agreements |
| Country of operation | Norway – no regular service in Germany |
| UIC country code | 76 (Norway) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Marking Type 92 or Type 93 plus a running number on the car body
- No pantograph – instead radiator, fan and exhaust equipment on the roof
- Fixed multiple-unit set, not a hauled rake of coaches
- Type 93 recognisable as an articulated set: fewer bogies than car sections
- Found on lines without overhead wire – electric builds are ruled out there
- Snowplough and winter equipment at the front
Updated: August 2026 – Wherever there’s no overhead wire in Norway, diesel railcars take over – chief among them the Type 92 and Type 93 builds. Both serve the same job but come from different manufacturers and, with a little practice, can be told apart even from a distance. This page shows you how.
Two type numbers, two log entries
Note which of the two builds you saw at every sighting – you won't be able to work it out afterwards.
What are BM92 and BM93?
Types 92 and 93 are diesel railcars for the Norwegian network. In the country’s system, multiple units and railcars carry the word “Type” plus a running number, while locomotives begin with an abbreviation for the traction type – “El” for electric, “Di” for diesel as with the Di 4. The spellings BM 92 and BM 93 derive from the Norwegian word “motorvogn” for railcar.
The key difference between the two: the Type 93 belongs to the Bombardier Talent family and is therefore an articulated set, while the Type 92 comes from Düwag production. Both serve lines without overhead wire – exactly the part of the network where electric builds are ruled out altogether.
Telling the two types apart in the field
When two builds do the same job and run in the same lettering, only the construction – and the number – can help.
Confirm diesel traction
No pantograph, radiator and exhaust equipment, no overhead wire: that rules out all electric builds. Takes two seconds.
Count the bogies
Fewer bogies than car sections means an articulated set – pointing to the Talent build of the Type 93.
Compare the front-end shape
Different manufacturers mean different design languages. The impression alone isn't enough, but it narrows things down reliably.
Read the marking
Type 92 or Type 93 plus a running number – that's the final identification and the entry for the logbook.
For how to tell the major railcar families apart in general, see the comparison distinguishing FLIRT, Talent and Desiro. For the European vehicle number with the country code 76, the piece on reading the UIC number and its check digit helps.
Two builds, one operator branding
When different builds run in the same livery, colour is worthless for identification. That's exactly when a practised eye for construction shows its value.
Placing it in the network: Norway’s second network
Norway runs its electrified core network at 15 kV at 16.7 Hz – the same system as Germany, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland. Alongside it exists a second, non-electrified network with its own rules, its own vehicles and an entirely different character.
| Feature | Electrified network | Non-electrified network |
|---|---|---|
| Typical vehicles | electric locomotives and electric multiple units | diesel locomotives and diesel railcars |
| Service frequency | denser, high at junctions | sparse, with long gaps |
| Environment | mostly urban areas and main axes | sparsely populated, often scenically spectacular |
| Photographic situation | overhead line masts in the shot | free silhouette against the landscape |
| Planning effort | low | high – a missed train costs hours |
The last row matters most for your trip planning. On diesel lines you’ll rarely get a second chance on the same day. Anyone coming from Germany with dense intervals routinely underestimates this – budget a multiple of your usual time per shot. In practice that means: a few well-chosen locations beat a long list you can’t get through in the end.
Sparse service, good preparation
Check in advance which vehicles were last reported – that decides whether a day at the line is worth it.
Operator names are snapshots
The addition “SJ Nord” refers to the Swedish state railway SJ as the operator of a tendered transport package. Such arrangements exist in Norway as in Germany, and they share the same trait: they change. A clear rule for your documentation follows from that.
- Type number is permanent and belongs in every sighting.
- Running number identifies the individual vehicle and can’t be substituted.
- Operator name and livery are time-stamped information – note them, but don’t rely on them.
- Line assignment is the most fleeting information of all and changes with every timetable revision.
That hierarchy holds in every country, but is especially visible in Norway: because the fleet is small and the number of operators manageable, relettering stands out immediately. A sighting that cleanly separates type number and lettering therefore stays datable later, even once you’ve forgotten the exact date.
The guide to the sighting logbook describes how to record such details so they’re still usable years later.
Photography on Norwegian diesel lines
These lines are the reason many railway photographers travel to Norway at all: little traffic, but landscape in which a two-car railcar looks like a model railway vehicle.
Keep the vehicle small
On diesel lines, the context is the subject. A railcar against rock, forest or water carries an image better than any close-up.
Sound as an early-warning system
Diesel engines carry for minutes in quiet surroundings. Use the time for settings and one last look at the framing.
Expose for snow
Bright surfaces lead to underexposure. Positive exposure compensation is the rule in winter, not the exception.
Protect equipment against cold
Carry spare batteries warm, avoid changing lenses outdoors, and expect condensation when warming up.
For snow, ice and twilight in particular, the piece on winter railway photography is worth reading.
Safety at the line and on the platform
Tracks and operational railway land are off limits – even on quiet lines where seemingly nothing runs for hours. Photograph only from publicly accessible points and keep to the safety line on the platform. In winter, snow can hide the platform edge and make the surface slippery: more distance than usual is then a necessity, not just caution.
Common mix-ups
It points to Type 92 or 93 when …
- the car body reads "Type 92" or "Type 93" plus a running number
- it's a fixed multiple-unit set with no pantograph
- radiator and exhaust equipment are visible
- there's no overhead wire above the line
Look more closely when …
- both builds carry the same livery and you can't read the number
- two units are running coupled together
- the train is running on an electrified section – diesel vehicles are allowed to
It's neither build when …
- a pantograph sits on the roof
- a standalone locomotive is hauling the train
- the marking starts with "El" or "Di"
The Type 93’s Talent kinship makes the comparison with the electric Type 72 interesting: same vehicle family, different traction type, different type number. In Germany you’ll find the same family as Class 643. Among locomotives, distinguishing the Di 8 by build and marking is straightforward.
Verdict
Types 92 and 93 stand for the part of Norway that electrification never reached – and for the vehicles without which that part of the network wouldn’t function. For spotters they’re a good training exercise: two builds, the same job, the same lettering, and yet reliably distinguishable if you check roof equipment, bogies and marking in the right order.
In short
No pantograph, no overhead wire, "Type 92" or "Type 93" on the car body: that's what Norway's diesel traffic looks like. The 93 additionally gives itself away as a Talent-family articulated set – and you'll only see either one if you go there.
Log each build separately
Type number, running number, location and photo – so it stays clear which of the two builds you're still missing.
Summary
- Types 92 and 93 are Norway's diesel railcars for the non-electrified network.
- Type 93 comes from the Bombardier Talent family and is recognisable by its articulated build.
- Telling them apart in the field comes down to roof equipment, bogie arrangement and the type number.
- Operator assignments change with tenders; check the current status before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
What do the designations BM92 and BM93 mean?
Norway designates multiple units and railcars with "Type" plus a number. Type 92 and Type 93 are therefore two distinct builds. The spelling BM derives from the Norwegian word "motorvogn" for railcar. Locomotives, by contrast, carry "El" for electric or "Di" for diesel.
How do I tell Type 92 and Type 93 apart?
By the marking and by the construction principle. The Type 93 belongs to the Bombardier Talent family and is an articulated set: only one bogie sits between two car sections. Count car sections and bogies from the side – that's the fastest way to tell them apart when the number isn't readable.
Why do diesel railcars run there and not electric multiple units?
Because the lines in question have no overhead wire. Norway runs its electrified core network at 15 kV / 16.7 Hz, but several long and scenically striking lines are not electrified. There, diesel traction is the only option – and for spotters a clear exclusion criterion.
What does the addition SJ Nord mean?
It refers to the operator of a tendered transport package. Such assignments are changeable: transport contracts are re-tendered, vehicles relettered, operator names change. The type number on the vehicle, by contrast, stays put – which makes it the more reliable feature.
Do these builds run in Germany?
No, there's no regular service in Germany. You do, however, see other members of the Talent family there regularly, for instance as diesel-powered regional railcars. The comparison is worthwhile: the same design concept, the same traction type, an entirely different designation and operating environment.
What makes photography on Norwegian diesel lines special?
The sparse service and the landscape. Trains come less often, but the surroundings of forest, rock, water and snow are photographically exceptional. Allow far more time per shot than in Germany, and be prepared that a missed train won't come back any time soon.
How do I recognise diesel traction from a distance?
By three things: no pantograph on the roof, visible radiator and fan housings, and no overhead wire above the track. Add to that the engine noise, which carries a long way in quiet surroundings – in Norway often several minutes before the train arrives.
What belongs in the logbook for a sighting?
Type number, running number, date, location and the current lettering. That last point is often forgotten but valuable: operator branding changes with contract awards, and the lettering lets you date your sighting later, even without an exact memory of when.
Log your sighting of the SJ Nord BM92 / BM93
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
NSB/Vy Di 8
Di 8 stands for a diesel-powered traction vehicle of type 8. This page shows how to identify it in the field – and why your own observation counts for more than any list.
Diesel locoNSB Di 4
Di 4 simply means diesel locomotive, type 4. It's built for operation on Norway's non-electrified lines – wherever an electric locomotive can't go.
EMUVy BM72 (Talent)
The BM72 is Norway's electric Talent. If you know the Talent family from Germany, you'll recognise it straight away – despite a different designation and different colours.
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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