The three-axle class 80 and the four-axle class 81 were designed as standard locomotives in order to be able to replace the various Länderbahn types in shunting service. In order to be able to design the boiler as strong as possible while maintaining an axle load of 18 tonnes, lightweight construction was used in all possible places and the driving wheels were only designed with a diameter of 1,100 mm. After the war, the locomotives of the Bundesbahn were retired by 1965 and the locomotives of the Reichsbahn were replaced by diesel locomotives in the early 1960s. A few locomotives were sold to industry on both sides and some were used until about 1980. 