Due to them having steam heating, and a lack in later years of suitable coaching stock they were amongst the first of the family to be withdrawn, no examples being operated by Deutsche Bahn by 2004.

Following good performance from the diesel-hydraulic locomotive the DB Class V 80, in the period of history of the German Railways sometimes known as Epoch III, the Deutsche Bundesbahn planned (in 1953) to build several types of new diesel locomotive, primarily to replace steam powered locomotives; these were: V 60, and V 65, both shunters, the V 65.2, also for shunting as well as light freight trains, DB Class V 200, for express passenger trains, and the V 160 for both freight and passenger work on the main network.

The prototypes performed well, and volume production began, numbers V 160 011 to V 160 224 being built between 1964 and 1968 by Krupp, Henschel, KHD, Krauss-Maffei and MaK.

The initial ten pre-production machines with the exception of V 160 006 were powered by a Maybach engine of the type MD 16 V 538 TB.

In all examples both bogies are powered via drive shafts from a two-speed hydraulic drive from Voith The welded steel chassis (formed of U beams and transverse members) and the body shell form the load-bearing frame, which rests on the two welded steel bogies, supported by helical springs, the engine is centrally located, with the fuel, batteries, oil, and fuel oil being hung below the chassis frame, between the bogies.

On push-pull passenger working the locomotives were sometimes found in the middle of the train – which facilitated easier separation of carriages en route.

The seven examples of the 226 Class were created by Deutsche Bahn for towing ICE 3 sets – for this purpose they were fitted with Scharfenberg couplers and the steam heating removed and repand replaced with ballast.

In February 1988 216 068 was the first locomotive of this series to receive the somewhat unpopular orientrot livery – an orient red lacquer with a white "bib" on the front.

The other livery carried by DB Class 160's was the verkehrsrot (traffic red) colour scheme with mid grey skirts and ventilation grills.