The ZAGRO Unimog U 423 Euro 6 shunting vehicle that has recently been put into service by DB-Fernverkehr AG in Hanover is equipped with a radio remote control and approved as a "small vehicle" according to §32 EBO for shunting service. Thanks to this technical homologation, the vehicle has been approved for use in the railway network of German Railways/Deutsche Bahn. The equipment is rounded off by a practical radio remote control, a powerful wagon brake system for 800 tons load and coupling rods at its front and rear.
At the shunting yard, this road rail vehicle replaces a three-axle locomotive type 363, which had to be put out of service for reasons of age. The decisive factor at Deutsche Bahn for the decision to use a road rail vehicle was above all the low operating costs. This means that the versatile Unimog requires less fuel than comparable locomotives. Furthermore, the maintenance work done by the Unimog service station located nearby is significantly cheaper.
The road rail Unimog, specially equipped for rail transport, tows the trains into the washing plant. The Unimog U 423 pulls the train through the plant at optimum speed. In addition to perfect timing, the high towing capacity requires a lot of power, especially when starting off. Of course, the ZAGRO shunting vehicle is perfectly suited to this task.
This video shows the shunting vehicle in action.
