Rangierwagen

Rangierwagen is a type of rail vehicle used in railway yards to assist with shunting operations by moving and rearranging freight wagons. In German-speaking railway practice, the term denotes a wagon designed to support marshalling tasks rather than long-distance transport. The equivalent English terms are shunting wagon or switching wagon.

Design and features commonly include a standard freight wagon frame with a simple body, standard couplers, and basic braking equipment. Many Rangierwagen are designed to be hauled by a shunting locomotive and may feature a platform for yard workers or access steps. Some variants are equipped with additional devices to aid coupling and uncoupling wagons, while others serve as buffers or service wagons within a yard.

Operational use involves forming, breaking up, and repositioning wagon trains within a yard or at industrial sidings. Rangierwagen can help move individual wagons to align them for loading, unloading, or transfer to depots. They are typically employed for short, controlled movements where using a full locomotive would be inefficient, aiding tasks such as linking wagons, separating cars, or guiding wagons onto storage tracks.

History and distribution note that Rangierwagen have been used since the early days of railways and remain in use in some regions for specific yard or industrial operations. In modern practice, many yards rely on dedicated shunting locomotives and automated systems, but Rangierwagen continue to appear in heritage fleets and in facilities with lower traffic levels.

See also: Rangierlokomotive, shunting, marshalling yard, switching service.