As early as 1913 there was a requirement for a powerful goods train locomotive in several of the divisions within the Prussian state railways.
This need grew as a result of the First World War; at the same time however the delivery of the first engine by Henschel-Werke was delayed until 1915.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn took over 15 vehicles from Prussia as the DRG Class 58.0 and gave them operating numbers 58 001 to 58 015.
[2][3] One Erfurt Division locomotive was surrendered to Belgium, where the Belgian State Railways classified it as Type 92, and numbered it 9252.
In 1917 the Royal Saxon State Railways ordered Hartmann to build 20 locomotives based on the Prussian G 12.1.
[2] Like Prussia, after the initial series, Saxony only ordered further batches of its successor, the Prussian G 12, although it was also designated the Class XIII H. The Chemins de fer de l'Est however, used the design as the basis for its 5211-series (later 150.001-series), a class of 195 locomotives built 1926 to 1932 by French manufacturers.