Model
* Metal construction
* Short coupling mechanism with standard shaft
* Separately attached grab bars and steps
* Container pins in open and folded-down positions are included.
* AC wheelsets available under part no. 41201
* Minimum drivable radius = 360 mm
* Length over buffers 156.4 mm
Prototype:
For transporting heavy bulk containers, AAE, the freight wagon leasing company now part of VTG, needed four-axle container wagons with a load capacity of 70 tons. With the existing 60-foot Sgns 60 units, the middle compartment would have had to remain empty when loaded with spoil containers. AAE had a sufficient number of wagons available for transporting standard containers, so the decision was made to shorten older Sgns 60 wagons and put them back into service as Sgmmns 173 wagons with a usable length of only 40 feet. AAE had more than 100 wagons converted. The four-axle wagons can each accommodate one 40-foot and one 30-foot container, or two 20-foot containers. The new wagons were initially used in construction site logistics around the Stuttgart 21 project, when trains transported spoil to locations including Amsdorf in Saxony-Anhalt. Since multiple truck sets were no longer needed for construction site traffic, the short four-axle vehicles are used in traffic with normal containers.
