List of Bavarian locomotives and railbuses

Examples: BAVARIA, WÜRZBURG, ALTMÜHL, FUNTENSEE, WATZMANN, COPERNICUS, FAUST, ODYSSEUS, PANTHER Locomotives with names were also given a so-called inventory number that was displayed in small figures on the chimney and on the rear wall of the tender or, in the case of tank engines, on the rear wall of the driver's cab.

Inventory numbers ran in sequence on new locomotives entering service, regardless of class or type.

When tank engines were brought into service in 1871, the use of four coupled axles was still not conceivable, so tank locomotives were given the class letter D. However, when goods train locomotives with four coupled axles then appeared towards the end of the 19th century, they had, absurdly, to be given the designation E I.

The system was further expanded in 1896 on the appearance of locomotives with separate running gear: Examples: AA I, Bavarian BB II To differentiate between two-cylinder (Zwillings-) and compound (Verbund-) locomotives in the case of Classes B XI and C IV the class designation was supplemented with: Examples: B XI Zw, C IV Vbd These additional letters were not inscribed on the engines themselves.

These were given the abbreviation LE (for Lokalbahn Eichstätt) and Roman numerals from I to V. In addition these locomotives also displayed inventory numbers.

Because of technical advances and the requirements of railway operations, this scheme was no longer able to cope, so a new system was introduced in 1901.

This consisted of several elements: A leading capital letter indicated the locomotive class: The locomotive class could be elaborated on with one or more additional letters: Then followed the ratio of the coupled axles to the total number of axles, separated by a forward slash e. g. 3/5.

Former Ostbahn locomotives were fitted with stronger tyres by the Royal Bavarian State Railways, so that in later years they had wheel diameters of up to 40 mm greater.