In 1963 the DR developed a diesel locomotive for mid-range passenger, freight, and heavy shunting service. This is how the four-axle, 1,000 hp diesel locomotives with a central driver's cab and hydraulic transmission came into being. These locomotives were labelled V 100 and V 110 in the DR numbering system. Following the conglomeration of the German railways, a large number of these locomotives were relabelled BR201, but were soon no longer of use. They were then sold to private companies, where they provide reliavble service to this day.

By the beginning of the 1980s, the steam locomotives on the narrow gauge railway in Harz were desperately in need of replacement. Because construction of a new diesel locomotive was not possible in East Germany for a number of reasons at that time, the DR railway workshop in Stendal converted ten regular gauge locomotives from the V100.2 series to six-axle meter gauge engines. These locomotives were labelled BR199.8      

36196 Sound Module & Speaker for V100/199