Their low axle load of 13.7 tons made them very suitable for running on makeshift or repaired railway lines.

In order to get railway traffic going after the German surrender in May 1945, the class was used in place of native Dutch engines that were destroyed or damaged during the war.

This locomotive, with the name "Longmoor" has been preserved in the Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht and has been brought back in the War Department condition with the number WD 73755.

It had the same power output as the 1'D but a lighter axle load, making it suitable for secondary lines.

This arrangement was common in the United States (e.g. the USRA D (0-8-0)) but unusual in Britain, where wide fireboxes were usually used only where there was a trailing bogie, e.g. in 2'B1' (4-4-2) and 2'C1' (4-6-2) types.

NS 5085 (WD 73755) survives in the Dutch Railway Museum (Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum) in Utrecht.