These five V 200 prototypes were put through extensive testing, the aim being to ensure the production locomotives would be as reliable as the technology and maintenance standards of the 1950s allowed.

In 1977 two V 200.0 locomotives were sold to the Heitkamp organisation which had been contracted by the Saudi Arabian Government to carry out repairs and maintenance to a 565 km standard gauge railway line between Dharan and Riyadh.

In 1982 Archirodon bought two further V 200s to break up in order to provide spare parts – particularly engines and transmissions – for the surviving V 200 in Saudi Arabia.

In 1988 one of the Cosfer (Italian) locomotives was transported to Spain to work on the construction of the RENFE AVE lines.

These locomotives were refurbished to the standard dictated by SBB-CFF-FFS by Regentalbahn AG of Viechtach, Germany.

This adaption included the installation of the Integra-Signum train protection system and of white/red switchable Fresnel lantern top headlights according to Swiss regulation (for emergency signalling); the ditch-lights and nearby tail-lights remained unchanged.

In service the locomotives were used to haul trains over electrified railway lines where the electrification was de-energised due to infrastructure works.

The loco – formerly 220 048 – was left behind in Algeria by its owners when the track refurbishment work was completed, and has been stored for many years at Constantine depot.

[1] These locos, painted in a nice red, were used with very good results but had to be stored early because the very scarce care of the Albanian railway men.

V 200 018 is on static indoor display at the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin which is housed on the site of former Anhalter Bahnhof depot.

It is the only authentic example of a V 200.0 still operational, retaining all the important original features, including Maybach engines, Mekydro transmissions and steam heating equipment.

This locomotive is primarily a freight engine although it has worked passenger trains in summer months.

Although differing in several ways – for example the Mekydro K104 transmission had a single torque converter and four mechanical gear stages while the Voith L306 had three different-sized torque converters – the engines and transmissions were designed so that the various types were completely interchangeable, not just amongst V 200.0 but with other locomotive types (V80/V100) and diesel multiple units (VT11, VT08 & VT12) that DB ordered around the same time as the V 200.0.

It was not uncommon to find a single locomotive with one Mercedes engine and one Maybach unit running together.

These were Soviet Union diesel-electric locomotives, nicknamed Taigatrommel (Taiga and trommel as drum in English i.e. Taiga Drum ), referring to their typical noise and a cynical reference to the Siberian landscape of their Soviet Union's homeland.

After the reunification of Germany these engines were classified by the new Deutsche Bahn as Class 220 as well, since all Western German V 200 units were out of service by that time.

The British Railways "Warship" class locomotives built in Britain between 1958 and 1962 were based on Krauss-Maffei's V 200.0 design, including the distinctive shape.

A fourth example of the ML 2200 C'C' was built at Krauss-Maffei's own expense, awaiting a buyer, but the Yugoslavian state railways made no further purchases.

In November 1957 Krauss-Maffei commenced a rebuild of the locomotive with more powerful engines and bigger transmissions, in the hope that it would be suitable for the Deutsche Bundesbahn.

In response to the 1955 visit to Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey by one of the V200 prototypes, Turkish Railways (TCDD) ordered three Krauss Maffei ML2700 locomotives in 1960.

The locomotives worked freight and passenger trains radiating from Ankara until TCDD retired them in 1982.