Summary

The Class 80 tank engines were German standard locomotives (Einheitsloks) with the Deutsche Reichsbahn. They were intended to replace the aging, rickety state railway line engines performing shunting duties in their dotage at large stations.

History
Between 1927 and 1928, 39 vehicles were produced, having been built in the locomotive factories of Jung in Jungenthal, Union Gießerei in Königsberg, Wolf and Hohenzollern. With the development of the Class 80, a relatively economical and simple locomotive class, it was hoped that the cost of shunting duties would come down.

After they had been on duty, prior to the Second World War, primarily in the area of Leipzig (including the shunting of post vans) and Cologne, 22 units went into the DR in East Germany, post-1945, and 17 to the Deutsche Bundesbahn. They were in service with the DR until 1968.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the last Bundesbahn engine was taken out of service in 1965. Several examples survived in the Ruhrgebiet until 1977 as industrial locomotives with the Ruhrkohle AG.