Information about the model
Until the mid-1950s, engine technology did not allow for the construction of a mainline diesel locomotive with a single engine and sufficient power. Consequently, the V200 and V200.1 series were developed. These were equipped with two drive units to meet their performance requirements. However, manufacturers were working intensively on more powerful engines, and by the end of the decade, a power output of 1400 kW from a single engine was no longer an illusion. As early as 1956, Krupp therefore began developing a medium-weight mainline diesel locomotive with a single engine, steam heating, and a top speed of 120 km/h. In 1960, Krupp and Henschel delivered a total of ten pre-production locomotives. Nine of them were nicknamed "Lollo" because of their appearance, in reference to Gina Lollobrigida. The tenth locomotive already had a more austere, significantly more angular design, which was considerably cheaper to produce and was therefore adopted for series production. The locomotives proved their worth in freight and passenger service and, following extensive testing from 1964 to 1968, went into series production. A total of 214 locomotives were delivered by Krupp, Henschel, KHD, Krauss-Maffei, and MaK. They were used throughout West Germany. With the delivery of the Class 218 and the increasing use of electric train heating, they were used more and more in freight service. After the prototype locomotives were withdrawn from service by 1984, the withdrawal of the series locomotives began in 1993. In passenger service, multiple units were increasingly used, leading to a further displacement of diesel locomotives. As freight traffic declined, the Class 232 was introduced from the DR (East German Railways). This locomotive made it possible to replace a double traction unit. By 2004, all Class 216 locomotives had been retired. However, numerous locomotives went to private railway companies both domestically and abroad; some have even returned and are now operating in near-original condition. The DB Museum will receive, among other things, the 216 003 in Lübeck and the 216 067 in Koblenz.
