Alsace–Lorraine is a region in northeastern France that was under the control of the German Empire between 1871 and 1920, during which time its railway network was expanded and operated by the EL.
The Reich railways in Alsace–Lorraine numbered their locomotives sequentially and gave them names as well.
The system was based on the Bavarian state railways with capital letters followed by Arabic numerals.
Older locomotives were no longer renumbered and retained their number until retirement.
In 1919 the French regional railway, “Chemins de fer d' Alsace et de Lorraine“ (AL) took over the system and continued with it until 1938, when the company went into the French national railways, the SNCF.