Prussian state railways

in supposed reference to a mythical "Royal Prussian Railway Administration" (Königlich Preußischen Eisenbahn-Verwaltung).

After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, various private, commercially oriented lines were brought under Prussian control through annexation, outright purchase or the provision of financial support depending on their situation.

Between 1880 and 1889 most of the private lines were nationalised thanks to Prussia's strong financial situation making it the biggest company in Germany in 1907.

[1] The individual railways acted as if they were independent operations and developed their own rolling stock.

At the end of the First World War the network of the state-owned Prussian railways had a total length of almost 37,500 kilometres.

This explains their unusually high numbers with about 80 classes and variants, the overwhelming majority of which were constructed between 1877 and 1895.

In 1889, Prussian standards were laid down in order that the number of classes could be reduced in the future.

The division of locomotives into class variants and different designs showed a clear predominance of tank engines.

In terms of pure numbers, goods locomotives dominated, representing some 12,000 out of a total fleet of around 30,000 in Prussian state ownership.

Classes 1 to 3 mainly comprised the old private railway locomotives, left in the order of the individual divisions.