VE ordered six locomotives from the Cail rolling stock factory and they were delivered in 1860.
In 1865 the locomotives passed to the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia (SFAI), which renumbered them 703-708, and later (probably in 1869) 767-772.
In 1885, at the creation of the great national networks, the locomotives passed to the Rete Mediterranea (RM) and took the numbers 3942-3947.
In 1905, at the time of nationalization, only five units arrived at the FS, which registered them as Class 396 with numbers from 3961-3965.
The boiler pressure was 7 bars (0.70 MPa; 100 psi) and they had two inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear.