Bahnbetriebswerk (steam locomotives)

A Bahnbetriebswerk (also abbreviated to Betriebswerk, Bw or BW) is a German railway depot where the maintenance of locomotives and other rolling stock is carried out. It is roughly equivalent to a locomotive shed, running shed or motive power depot. These were of great importance during the steam locomotive era to ensure the smooth running of locomotive-hauled services. Bahnbetriebswerke had a large number of facilities in order to be able to carry out their various maintenance tasks. As a result, they needed a lot of staff and were often the largest employers in the area.

The history and present-day importance of such depots is covered in the Bahnbetriebswerk article.