Seventeen locomotives were bought used by the Norwegian State Railways and designated NSB Di 5.

As a result, in 1951, a diesel shunter was designed, almost all the major locomotive firms being involved in its development and production.

In 1955 the first prototype locomotives, V 60 001–004, were delivered by Krupp, Krauss-Maffei, Mak and Henschel, each having different engines.

Two years later NSB bought another ten units, but one of them was only used for spare parts.

The driver's cab is sound-proofed, the footplate is at the front and the loco can be operated from either side.

The drive is achieved using a 12 cylinder Maybach GT06-diesel motor capable of producing 478 kW (650 PS).

This engine is an evolutionary development of the type G05, which was installed from 1932 in various railcars including the Flying Hamburger.

The locomotive is driven by means of a hydraulic transmission by Voith via a jackshaft and coupling rods to the three axles, a concept that had also been used on earlier shunting engines such as the Class V 36.

After the V 60 had been in service for about 25 years, in 1982 the DB tested a variety of shunting engines under the Class 259, which were to be the successors of the V 60.

In 2008 over 70 were owned by German private and industrial lines, of which the majority were working in construction logistics and in local goods services.

As early as the 1960s they were delivered to places like Greece (Hellenic State Railways, class A-101)[3] or Turkey, or built under licence as in Belgium.