After the opening of the first section of the Hedjaz Railway, there was the need for powerful freight locomotives. Like most Hedjaz locomotives, they were built by German manufacturers. In this case, Krauss of Munich built 14 2-8-0 between 1903 and 1905. The completion of new sections meant that Krauss delivered 19 more in the following years.

They had the typical look of many German locomotives, but due to their gauge of only 1,050 mm, there was a partial frame outside of the driving wheels. The cylinders were placed in front of the leading axle. The tender was relatively large for a narrow gauge locomotive and held 12.000 liters of water.

When the complete line between Damascus and Medina had been opened and different secondary lines were being planned, twelve additional locomotives were ordered from Jung. These differed somewhat from the Krauss machines, for example in the exact placement of the axles. Nevertheless, many parts were interchangeable, as stated in the requirements.