A variety of three-axle freight tank locomotives from the Länderbahnen were grouped together in the class 89, which were now primarily used for shunting. In 1931 it was decided to develop a modern locomotive of this type based on the principles of the standard locomotives. Due to the reduced axle load of just over 15 tonnes, the resulting class 890 weighed in at a service weight of only around 45 tonnes and had an overall length of less than ten meters, making it the smallest of all standard locomotives. Welding technology had already been used at various points in its construction, which also led to a reduction in weight.
In contrast to the other modern locomotives, BMAG used saturated steam for the first three delivered in 1934 for cost reasons. These were given the numbers 89 001 to 003, since the Prussian T 8, originally classified as 890, had already been handed over to private operators by this time.
Henschel delivered three more in the same year as superheated versions, which were given the numbers 89 004 to 006. In the following, both versions were used for comparison with each other, with superheated steam proving its superiority in every respect. The difference can be seen most clearly in the indicated power, which was calculated with 320 and 525 hp. The Henschel design was thus selected as the version for all other locomotives, but ultimately only road numbers 89 007 to 010 were delivered in 1937.
The ten locomotives were based in the Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin for most of the time and all survived the war. Subsequently, five of them were in Polish territory, after which they continued to be used by the PKP. Three more had to be handed over to the Soviet Union, so that ultimately only 89 005 and 89 008 remained with the Reichsbahn of the GDR. The 008 was the last to be retired in 1968 and has been preserved to this day.
