Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published September 20, 2022.

Sorry, what? Köfii? A typo? No, let me explain...

A Köf II is a German locomotive; Kleinlok (small locomotive), Öl-Motor (diesel engine) Flüssigkeitsgetriebe (hydraulic drive), Leistungsgruppe II (performance class 2). Between 1933 and 1965, more than 1,000 of these little workhorses were built—and you can still find them in private yards and museum railways.

Twelve years ago I saw a photo of a LEGO Köf II built by Markus Wagner. He had managed to put a battery box, IR receiver and train motor in this tiny little loco. An updated version even had lights!

I was well impressed and decided to build my own version in red. At the time I was quite happy with it, but 11 years later it looks a bit dated and could do with an upgrade… But now, let’s get to why these are so special to The LEGO Group.

The LEGO Locomotive

A year after I built my red version, I read an interesting article in Railbricks. In 1956, LEGO's international expansion started with a factory and distribution centre in Hohenwestedt, a German town just across the Danish border but still in Jutland. The small industrial estate had a railway siding that LEGO started using, and in 1987 they bought their own small locomotive—a Köf II to move the freight cars around the yard. They painted it yellow and put big red logos on the back and sides. After 15 years of service, it was sadly sold in 2002 and eventually painted over. LEGO left the Hohenwestedt complex in 2005 when production in Kladno, Czech Republic, was ramping up.

I decided to build a yellow version of my red loco, this time using a 9V train motor instead of Power Functions. Using a little poetic license (there were versions with an open cab, but LEGO's one, as you can see above, definitely had doors and windows) and stickers from set 10156, it turned out rather nicely! This plucky little loco has been pulling freight trains around our various layouts for over a decade now.

I think lots of LEGO train builders must have read the same Railbricks article because I started seeing more LEGO-built Köfs. I decided to start a gallery on Flickr that has been growing steadily—I keep finding more! It reminded me of friends of mine who wrote a book about cover versions of 'Summertime' ('courage needed for the 834th version').

There aren't quite that many versions in LEGO but colour variations counted, I now know of 41 versions. I think that makes it the most 'covered' locomotive in LEGO. Some builders have been inspired by others, and others have their own unique interpretations. It’s great to see so many different perspectives. Everyone started with the same prototype but everyone had their own solutions for headlights, buffer, grilles and other details. Showing all 41 versions would make this a rather long article, so here's a subjective selection.

The United Colours of…

In the real world these engines come in different colours and the LEGO models are no different. The oldest version I've found is a bright red 7-wide model dating back to the year 2000. It was built by an Italian AFOL named Gianluca Morelli. Given the available part palette of the time it's a pretty good effort.

Werner built a nice model of the first series, when the cabin was open to the elements. His model is based on the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the East German railways. The open cab allows for a driver, and this guy looks the part.

Köfs were used all over Germany. Eastern ones were mostly black, Western ones were mostly red, and both colours are well represented among the LEGO models. What's not as well-known is that there were also Köfs in Denmark. In the 1960s DSB, the Danish National Railway company, ordered 40 of them. They were painted in the red and black livery of DSB. Dennis Tomsen built this version of the Köf, originally in 2012 and updated in 2018. His model includes the distinctive exhaust on the roof that the Danish version has.

DSB had another, even more colourful version. The railway museum's loco is nicknamed 'Benetton' and it's clear to see why. Adam Grabowski built this unique version in 2021.

Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

Most of the LEGO models are 7 or 8 studs wide, the typical scale for LEGO train MOCs, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some other sizes around. Christoph Ellermann built a 6-and-a-bit-wide version, and it's one of the smallest ones I'm aware of. At this size, it's impossible to hide the battery so it needs to pull a power car behind it.

Sixish-wide Köf II by Christoph Ellermann

John Neal did a nice 10-wide version in the LEGO colours that interestingly uses LEGO train doors inside out:

10-wide Köf II in LEGO colours by John Neal

I mentioned Christoph Ellermann’s 6-wide loco earlier, but he has also built something bigger. This version is unusual not only because of its size, including bigger wheels, but also its colour—the orange of Harzer Smallspurbahnen, a heritage railway in Germany. And impressively, it even has a decoupling mechanism on board!

Even bigger is Faust Chang's model that's 16 studs wide. That scale allows for a whole different level of detailing. He has chosen to make some of the panelling transparent to show the engine inside. Notice the train wheels used as buffers here.

And Finally…

Every now and then a builder comes along who raises the bar for everyone. Last year that builder was Thomas from Germany who built an incredibly detailed model of the little Köf—a 17-studs long engine containing more than 500 parts. The texture of the panels on the hood, the air tank, the shape of the cabin... he just nailed it. Thanks to Circuit Cubes, it has room for all that detailing as well as a battery and motor. And if that's not enough, it has lights as well.

Have a look through the album on Flickr where he explains the development of the model.

If you know of other versions than the ones in my Flickr gallery, please let me know. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to the next fan-made LEGO model of the Köf II. I can’t wait to see more improvements, new interpretations, and Nice Parts Usage.

Sources & Further Reading

The complex in Hohenwestedt. The tracks are still there, but it looks like it's disconnected from the mainline now: Google Maps
Information about the LEGO loco can be found in Railbricks issue 8: Railbricks @ Brick Model Railroader
A gallery with many of the models covered in this article can be found here: Flickr Gallery
More information about the Köf II: Wikipedia

Which version of the Köf II is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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