Key takeaways
- The Class 711 is a diesel railcar of Italian origin, dating from the procurement era of the Yugoslav state railway.
- Quickest way to identify it: no pantograph, railcar design, number starting with 7.
- The 7xx block is the system: at SŽ, numbers starting with 7 stand for diesel railcars.
- Older railcar generations are being replaced – the fleet keeps changing, and current sightings beat older lists.
- The class does not run in Germany; it is a target for a trip abroad or for archive research.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Diesel railcar for local services on non-electrified lines |
|---|---|
| Design origin | Italian-built (Fiat), procured in the Yugoslav era |
| Propulsion | Diesel engine on board, independent of the overhead line |
| Series number | 711 – at SŽ the 7xx block stands for diesel railcars |
| Vehicle generation | Older generation, gradually being replaced by newer multiple units |
| UIC country code Slovenia | 79 |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- No pantograph, but engine noise and an exhaust instead – a diesel-powered vehicle
- A railcar rather than a locomotive-hauled train: propulsion and passenger compartment are in the same vehicle
- Series number starts with 711; at SŽ the leading 7 marks diesel railcars
- Clearly older styling than current low-floor units – higher entrances, classic window layout
- Used on branch lines without overhead wires, not on the electrified main routes
- Liveries have changed over the decades and are no use for identification
Updated: August 2026 – A single vehicle running on a branch line without a locomotive, with an audible diesel engine and no pantograph: that is a diesel railcar, and in the Slovenian system this vehicle type carries numbers in the 7xx block – including the Class 711 of Italian origin. This page puts it in context, explains the numbering system and shows what matters when you spot and photograph it.
Document older railcars first
With old vehicle generations, the date is what counts. Record number, location and condition in Traintrack while they are still around.
What is the Class 711?
The SŽ Class 711 is a diesel railcar for local services on non-electrified lines. Its design comes from Italian production; the type was still procured for the Yugoslav state railway, and after 1991 part of the fleet stayed with Slovenske železnice.
The vehicle type is almost more important than the individual class. A railcar combines propulsion and passenger compartment in one vehicle – there is no locomotive that has to run round and no coaches that have to be shunted. That is exactly what makes this design economical on lightly used lines, and it is why practically every European network has it in some form or other.
The Slovenian numbering system and the leading 7
Slovenia organises its fleet in number blocks. The first digit already tells you which world you are in – before you have recognised a single detail on the vehicle.
| Number range | Vehicle type | Key recognition feature |
|---|---|---|
| 3xx | Electric locomotives and multiple units | Pantograph on the roof |
| 6xx | Diesel locomotives and diesel multiple units | No pantograph, exhaust and radiator section |
| 7xx | Diesel railcars | Single vehicle or short unit without a separate locomotive |
| Manufacturer number | Modern multi-system locomotives | European type numbers such as 193 or 541 |
The comparison with Norway is instructive: there, a letter code comes first – El for electric, Di for diesel locomotives, Skd for small shunting locomotives. Both systems solve the same task, just by different means. If you travel internationally, it is best to get used to asking about the country’s system first and the vehicle second. That is exactly the sequence described in the guide to identifying classes.
Establish the propulsion
No pantograph, an audible combustion engine: that rules out every electric class.
Classify the vehicle concept
Is the vehicle running alone or as a short unit, without a separate locomotive? Then it is a railcar and not a locomotive-hauled set.
Estimate the generation
Higher entrances, a classic window layout, angular shapes: that points to an older generation. Low floors and walk-through interiors are features of current vehicles.
Confirm the series number
The markings on the vehicle decide it. A leading 7 confirms a diesel railcar in the Slovenian system.
Branch lines: diesel railcar territory
On the network of Slovenske železnice, diesel railcars run services for which electrification was never economical and for which a locomotive-hauled train would be too much effort. That shapes their daily routine: few journeys a day, small stations, short stops, often only one vehicle in the diagram.
For observers that means two things. First, your chances are predictable, because a timetable exists – unlike shunting or trip workings. Second, they are low, precisely because only a few trains run. If you want to visit a branch line, you therefore plan the whole day around two or three train journeys and have back-up subjects in mind.
Within the Slovenian fleet, the 711 sits between two worlds: related older types such as the Class 713 and the Class 715 belong to the same generation, while modern vehicles such as the Class 610 do the same job with current technology.
Fleet and deployment change
Older railcar generations are gradually being replaced all over Europe. Whether and where vehicles of this class are still in scheduled service changes with new vehicle deliveries and timetable years. Treat every fleet figure you find online as a snapshot and check the current status before your trip.
Know what runs on the branch line
Current community sightings save you a day of waiting on the wrong line.
Photography: capturing older railcars properly
Older railcars are appealing photographic subjects because they carry an era with them – and because their time is limited. That makes it all the more important to come away not just with a beautiful picture but with a complete one.
Photograph both: vehicle and surroundings
The small station, the platform sign, the lineside scenery – with older vehicles, the surroundings are part of the documentation.
Choose a three-quarter view
An angle of about 30 to 45 degrees shows the front and the side at the same time and gives the vehicle volume.
Take detail shots
Markings, entrance area, cab windows: with old vehicles, the details often turn out to be the most valuable shots later on.
Label straight away
Note number, location and date right after taking the picture. Otherwise, after three days of travelling, you will only be able to match up pictures roughly.
With older vehicles it is also worth making a conscious decision about the style of picture. A technically clean side-on shot serves documentation and later becomes evidence. An atmospheric picture with station scenery, weather and people, on the other hand, tells you what this operation felt like – and that is exactly what cannot be made up for once the vehicles are gone. Most spotters do both, but one after the other and with a clear head, rather than trying to combine both aims in a single picture.
How to file a growing collection so that you can still find everything years later is described in the article on the photo archive for spotters. And if you want to research before your trip which vehicles are still running abroad at all, the guide to railway topics abroad points you to the right places.
Safety on quiet lines
Precisely where trains rarely run, people underestimate the track area. It stays off limits. Photograph from platforms and public paths, keep your distance from the platform edge, and never assume that nothing can come along between two scheduled trains.
Common mix-ups
It points to the Class 711 if …
- there is no pantograph and a combustion engine can be heard running
- the vehicle runs alone or as a short unit without a locomotive
- the styling looks older than on current low-floor vehicles
- the series number starts with 711
Look more closely if …
- related older railcar classes are running in the same colour scheme
- the vehicle is stabled and the markings are weathered
- you only see the front and cannot judge the unit
It's not a 711 if …
- there is a pantograph on the roof
- a separate locomotive is hauling the train
- the vehicle is low-floor with a walk-through interior
Verdict
The Class 711 stands for a part of Slovenian railway operations that is quietly disappearing: single diesel railcars on branch lines, older technology, small stations. It can be identified in three steps – propulsion, vehicle concept, number. For German spotters it is purely a travel subject, and one where acting early pays off: with older generations, it is not the place that decides your chances but the timing.
In short
No pantograph, railcar design, older styling, number 711: that is how you place this Slovenian diesel railcar. Its territory is branch lines without overhead wires – and its fleet keeps changing, so better to document it today than next year.
Collect what will soon be gone
Number, line, date and condition in one place – that is how individual trips add up to solid documentation.
Summary
- The Class 711 belongs to the older generation of Slovenian diesel railcars and was built in Italy.
- Diesel railcars serve branch lines without overhead wires – where neither electrification nor locomotive-hauled trains pay off.
- The Slovenian numbering system groups vehicles in number blocks; the leading digit carries the information.
- If you want to document the class, don't wait too long, and record the number, date and location as well.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SŽ Class 711?
A diesel railcar for local services on non-electrified lines, originally built in Italy. The type was procured in the Yugoslav era; after Slovenia's independence, part of the fleet stayed with Slovenske železnice. In the Slovenian series system, the leading 7 clearly marks it as a diesel railcar.
What is the difference between a railcar and a locomotive with coaches?
In a railcar, propulsion and passenger compartment are combined in one vehicle. There is no separate traction unit that has to run round the train. That makes it economical on lightly used lines: a single vehicle can operate an entire service without staff time and extra minutes spent on shunting.
Why does the number start with a 7?
Because the Slovenian system works with number blocks. The 3xx range stands for electric traction, the 6xx range for diesel locomotives and diesel multiple units, the 7xx range for diesel railcars. Unlike Norway, where letters such as El, Di or Skd indicate the type, here the first digit carries this information.
Does the Class 711 run in Germany?
No. The type was procured for Slovenian – or formerly Yugoslav – operation and is neither authorised nor to be found in Germany. For German spotters it is therefore purely a foreign vehicle – and a subject you can only get to on site or through archive material.
Is the Class 711 still in service?
Older railcar generations in Slovenia are gradually being replaced by modern stock, and the status of individual vehicles varies. No reliable statement about the current fleet can be made here. Only current observation is reliable – check shortly before your trip what has been reported most recently.
Where is it worth looking for older railcars?
On branch lines without overhead wires, at their terminus stations and around depots and workshops. Clubs and heritage operations are another option, because older vehicles often survive there longer than in regular service. Which services are currently operated with what changes with each timetable year.
How do I tell the 711 apart from a modern diesel multiple unit?
By the styling and the entrances. Older railcars have higher entrances, a classic window layout and look more angular overall. Modern vehicles such as the Class 610 are low-floor, walk-through and much smoother in design. The series number confirms the identification for good.
What belongs in good documentation?
The full vehicle number with country code 79, date, location and the line travelled. With older vehicles it is also worth noting condition and livery, because both change quickly and cannot be reconstructed later. A short note is often more valuable here than yet another photo.
Log your sighting of the SZ Class 711
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
SZ Class 713
The SŽ 713 is a diesel railcar of Slovenian Railways. Here's how to read the series number, recognise the vehicle type and place it within the Slovenian network.
DMUSZ 715
The SŽ 715 is one of the diesel railcars of Slovenian Railways. Here's how to tell it apart from its neighbouring classes and place it correctly in the Slovenian network.
DMUSZ 610 (Stadler FLIRT DMU)
Class 610 is Slovenia's modern diesel multiple unit for lines without overhead wires. Here's how to recognise it and how to tell it apart from electric multiple units.
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
