an electric heater (steam heating was removed) driven from an auxiliary diesel of type 8V 331 TC 10 with an output of 520 kW at 2100 rpm. Unlike in the DB Class 217 the auxiliary diesel is not connected to the transmission and cannot be used for additional traction power Conversion variant 215.9 In the summer of 2003, DB AutoZug acquired a total of 18 locomotives from DB Regio, 14 units were rebuilt in a fashion analogous to the DBAG Class 225 but numbered as Class 215.9. The remaining four locomotives were kept for spare parts. The steam heating boilers needed fuel and water tanks which for this service were now unnecessary, thus they were replaced with a ballast weight, the engines remained unchanged. A GSM-R system was fitted, as well as automatic brake slack adjusters. DBAG Class 225 After passenger work for many of the DB Class 215 disappeared, DB Regio transferred 68 locomotives to DB Cargo (later Railion) for freight work, the steam heating boilers being removed and replaced with ballast. The new class was augmented by further DB Class 218 machines, which formed the subclass 225.8. Operations Class 215 The class were used on all types of train; the main area of used was on the Eifel rail (Cologne to Trier) in the Lower Rhine and Baden-Wuerttemberg area down to Lake Constance. One high-profile working in the 1980s was the D 216/217 "Austria-Express" ( from Klagenfurt via Graz/Krefeld to Amsterdam) between Krefeld central station (Hauptbahnhof Hbf.) and Arnhem, the Netherlands. The units with electric heating modifications (030 to 032) were used for this service. The last scheduled working of the 215 series was on the DB Regio Hessen trains, which ended in April 2003. Afterwards some were kept on standby for the DB Regio Rheinland Regionalbahn trains. In June 2003 transfer of the sub-class 215.9 to DB AutoZug GmbH took place, many others having been sent previously to DB Cargo. Class 215.9 This class were specifically used for the AutoZug (car ferry trains) between Niebüll and Westerland operated by DB AutoZug. The Class 215.9s work around the Sylt island ended in March 2008. Afterwards some were transferred for work around Chemnitz. References Further information Allgemeine Infos - Baureihe 215 Class 215 - technical information, and individual locomotive statistics. Diesel locomotives of Germany 215 B-B locomotives Henschel locomotives Krupp locomotives Krauss-Maffei locomotives MaK locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in