The two double locomotives EP 209/210 and EP 211/212 go back to an order from the Prussian State Railways in 1911. An electric locomotive was required that should be able to pull heavy passenger and express trains at 90 km/h on the level. In addition, it should be able to reach the same speeds as powerful steam locomotives of the time with slightly lighter trains on gradients of up to two percent.

Due to bad experiences with the first eight-coupled single-frame locomotives, the production of 13 of these double locomotives and only one 2-D-1 locomotive, the later EP 235, was planned for comparison. In order to distribute the loads optimally, these locomotives were fitted with two coupled axles, one running axle on one side and a two-axle bogie on the other.

The transformer was in a hood in front of the driver's cab on the longer side. It supplied the electricity for one traction motor per half of the locomotive, which was located in the machine room behind the driver's cabs. The hood on the other side accommodated the boiler including the coal for firing. This meant that the longer body half was 8.3 meters long, while the shorter one was only 6.8 meters. The power was provided by jackshafts with large flywheels between the coupled wheel sets. Although this construction met the specifications in terms of power, there was an increased tendency to sway due to the short wheelbase of the shorter of the two locomotive halves. The many moving connections in the middle often led to problems.

Due to the war, only the EP 235 could be completed for the time being, which, contrary to expectations, had much better running characteristics than the earlier single-frame locomotives. Since the EP 209/210 was not convincing, the existing order was canceled and only the EP 211/212, which was already in production, was completed. Instead, 13 more machines based on the EP 235 were procured. Due to the long delay in completing the machines, they were already outdated when they were delivered. For this reason and because of the bad experiences in use, the older machine was retired in 1925. The EP 211/212 was able to last a few years longer and was given the number E 49 00 by the Reichsbahn. It too was retired in 1929.