CRRC-built car carriers on test

Three Laaeffrs560.4 wagons built by CRRC Shandong were recently present at the VÚKV test base in Cerhenice (i. e. the test facility located in the same area as the VUZ Velim test centre). CRRC Shandong is located in the city of Jinan, which is the capital of Shandong province.

The wagons 25 80 4382 301, 302 and 304 registered under DB Cargo Logistics (i. e. the successor to ATG Autotransport Logistic) arrived there on 1 November 2024, having been transported by RailAdventure from the DB Systemtechnik test site in Minden and back from Velim on 29 November 2024. According to the data on the production plate, they were already manufactured in 2021.

A DB Cargo spokesperson did not respond to our (repeated) questions about the wagons, the purpose of their presence at the test base or other possible circumstances surrounding their purchase. Given the background information provided by Railvolution, the purpose of their presence was to test the behavior when pushed through an “S-shape” curve.

According to earlier information in the German railway press, DB Cargo took delivery of 140 Class Laaers560.3 wagons from CRRC Shandong in 2021, so this could be a simultaneous batch. The wagons still shine with their newness, which after three years of production suggests that they have not yet been in service.

The Laaers560.3 wagons are a standard design of articulated double-deck open car carriers, but the letters "ff" in the designation mean that they are eligible for passage through the Eurotunnel and for operation on the British network, and therefore in a more limited loading gauge there.