ESU 31574 Diesel loco H0, 2048 011, ÖBB, Era V, prototype around 1992, red, Sound+Smoke, DC/AC
As the little sister of the twin-engine V200, the DB developed the single-engine V100 for light line service. Both had diesel-hydraulic power transmission in common. The V100 was included in the 1955 model range. With its retracted front end, it promised easier maintenance, safer stopping for shunters and, with 1100 hp, sufficient reserves for branch line service. The machine system and transmission had already been tested in the series V200.0 built from 1956 onwards, and some of the teething problems had been resolved when the six pre-series V100s were ready for test runs in 1958. After these were completed and various design changes were made, the series delivery of the V100 008 took place. The DB purchased 364 examples of the 1100 hp locomotive, later known as the V100.10. In the meantime, the Maybach MD 650 diesel engine with 1100 hp had been replaced by the 1350 hp Mercedes twelve-cylinder engine MB 835 Ab on V100 006. Initially, however, the weaker MB 820 Bb and MD 650 were installed. However, as the operational service reported a need for more powerful locomotives, from 1962 onwards the DB purchased 370 of the 1350 hp version, classified as the V100.20 series (later BR 212). This differs from the V100.10 (later BR 211) mainly in its longer front section with a modified cooling system. Since the V100.10 often worked at its performance limit, its reliability decreased and so from 1970 onwards the engine was replaced on a large scale with the more powerful MTU-12V 652 TA10, which had proven itself in the V100.20 from the factory since 1962. In the 1980s around a third of the 211s had the more powerful engine. Externally, the snow plows that around 140 of the 211s and 120 of the 212s carried at least temporarily were striking. 55 locomotives of the 211 and 230 examples of the 212 were equipped with push-pull and multiple traction control. More than 150 examples of both types that were decommissioned by the DB were taken up in France, and more than 50 more in Italy. The Austrian ÖBB combated a temporary shortage of locomotives with 34 211s classified as BR 2048 and used them until 2004. Today, numerous 211s, 212s and 213s can also be found on private railways in Germany.
