SSW and Henschel developed the E 05 as a competitor to the E 04 when the Reichsbahn was looking for a light electric express locomotive for central Germany. This model was also a 1-C-1 locomotive with an output of just over 2,000 kW, which was built in different versions for 110 and 130 km/h. Like the E 04, the three prototypes of the E 05 each received three individually driven axles. The differences lay in the fact that the E 05 had only 1,400 mm large drive wheels, which were also less suitable for high speeds due to their design with nose-suspended motors and cheaper production and maintenance. Because both the main transformer and the traction motors were individually cooled, there were no thermal problems despite the higher speeds compared to the competition.
The different top speeds made it possible to use different complex chassis designs. On the E 05 001 and 002, the carrying axles were combined with the adjacent powered axle to form a relatively simple steering frame. In contrast, the E 05 103 (designated as E 051), which had a top speed of 130 km/h, used further developed Krauss-Helmholtz bogies. In addition, the middle axle was designed to be laterally displaceable by 15 mm, while it was still fixed in the frame on the first two machines. In terms of performance, the three machines could keep up with the E 04, but due to the nose-suspended motors and the chassis, the smooth running at high speeds left a lot to be desired in a direct comparison. It remained with the three vehicles, which were hardly ever used in the period that followed and mainly served as a replacement for electric railcars that had failed.
Since all three machines were still in the Central German network after the end of the Second World War, they had to be handed over to the Soviet Union. Two of them returned to the GDR in 1952, where they initially stayed in the scrap yard. Road number E 05 002 remained there until it was retired in 1962, and only road number E 05 103 was rebuilt in 1959. The latter was only in use for a few years, as the use of the single locomotive soon no longer paid off and it was also retired in 1964.
