These locomotives were developed from 1930 to take on light shunting tasks at small stations. In 1931 it was defined that power group I should consist of small locomotives with an output of less than 40 hp. A few locomotives were initially ordered between 1931 and 1934, which the four manufacturers Jung, Orenstein & Koppel, Windhoff and Gmeinder had developed independently of one another. These could be obtained cheaply and served their purpose, but they were all built differently.

For this reason, a standard design was created in 1934, the vehicles of which were identical except for different diesel engines. The first variant had an operating weight of eight tonnes and, depending on the engine, an output of between 25 and 30 hp. In 1935 and 1936, a reinforced standard design with 35 to 40 hp was created. The power was transmitted in a very simple way via chains from the gearbox to both axles. Its designation was Kö I, which stood for “Kleinlokomotive mit Ölmotor” (Light locomotive with oil engine). During the war some were converted to run on LPG and then designated Kb I.

The cab was at the rear, but the hood was so small that it was easy to look past. In the driver's cab there was a control panel in each direction to make maneuvering in both directions easier. At both ends there was a very simple form of shunting coupler that coupled automatically and was released with a foot pedal. A braking system operated by compressed air for the entire train was also dispensed with, only the locomotive itself could be braked using a foot brake. A curiosity is that the locomotives of the first series were not allowed to leave the stations because they weighed eight tonnes and were too light to trigger some contacts. The reinforced models no longer had this problem with their ten tonnes.

After the war, the examples of the first series were quickly retired. The rest received 50 hp Deutz tractor engines between 1954 and 1962 and other standardizations. Nevertheless, their possible uses shrank as parcel traffic continued to decrease. They were now too weak to move the heavier unit trains, which is why in 1968 only a smaller number were included in the new numbering scheme as class 311.

At the Reichsbahn they only received new engines and from 1970 they became the class 100⁰. Here, too, most of the locomotives were decommissioned in the seventies while new small locomotives of performance class II were being built.

The diesel-mechanical light locomotive of the type V 10 B was manufactured by the LKM Babelsberg for industrial railways and for export. The designation stood for an output of 100 hp and two axles. It was technically based on the N4, which in turn was very similar to the Kleinlokomotiven of power class 2. However, what was new about the V 10 B and the narrow-gauge version V 10 C was that they no longer had a very low driver's cab. The exported locomotives went to several countries in the Eastern Bloc, as well as to friendly countries. The V 15, also built for the Reichsbahn from 1958, was based on the V 10 B, but was more powerful and had hydraulic power transmission.

The SM03 was a two-axle shunter that was slightly heavier and significantly more powerful than the SM02 and was called the Ls150 or 2D by the manufacturer. It was initially made by Fablok and was powered by a six-cylinder diesel with 150 hp. Like many larger shunting locomotives, it had hoods of different lengths and a driver's cab with generous glazing. In the first series, the mechanical transmission had only one gear2q1 and limited the top speed to exactly 25.7 km/h. Later, another two-speed gearbox was used, which allowed the same speed in first gear and 45.8 km/h in second gear. The PKP procured a few more machines than from the SM02, but only used them to move other locomotives and passenger cars due to the limited capacity. The remaining machines were bought by the industry, which found a wide range of tasks for them.

The locos' nicknames were “Kogucik” and “Kaczka”, meaning “chicken” and “duck”, alluding to the small size and the looks. Since 1965 it had also been built by Zastal in Zielona Góra and a total of 273 units were built by 1969. The further development Zastal 409D was also developed by Zastal. A license-built Henschel 14H6 was used as the engine, which produced 180 hp. These locomotives were built by Zastal until 1978, then by Mystal in Myszków until 1989 and then by ZNTK Olesnica until 1995. The 409D was only used by private operators and not by PKP. A few examples of the locos can still be found in commercial use in the 21st century and some have been preserved for posterity.

Starting in 1960, Fablok built a small three-axle diesel locomotive for narrow gauge railways that was called WLs150. The number stood for the number of horsepower available, which came from a five-cylinder diesel engine. By 1969, a total of 144 had been built for gauges of 750, 785 and 900 mm, 33 of which had been delivered to PKP. In the same year, Zastal started production of the WLs180 with a 180 hp six-cylinder. 47 were built, of which three went to PKP. PKP called both variants Lyd1, what stood for diesel, three axles, high-pressure combustion and mechanical gearbox. 

Based on the narrow-gauge locomotive ТУ6 (TU6), the ТУ6А was built in Kambarka from 1973, which now had 200 instead of 90 hp. Like this one, it had two bogies with mechanical power transmission. The TU6A was placed below the more powerful ТУ4 with hydraulic power transmission. Externally they were initially almost identical until the visual appearance was changed in later machines. The number reached 3,915 by 1988, making it the most widespread narrow-gauge locomotive in the Soviet Union. Many were used in industrial plants, but one made it to the children's railway in Yaroslavl.

From 1953, CKD developed the T 211.0 for light shunting service and works railways. It was a two-axle locomotive with a frame length of almost seven meters and a comparatively large cab. The cab door was usually at the rear, but on some locomotives it was on the sides of the cab. Even though all locomotives in this series were built for the standard gauge, they were designed for conversion to gauges between 600 and 1,676 mm. Power was delivered by the Tatra 111 A truck diesel with 165 hp, which had a displacement of 14.8 liters and twelve cylinders. The power was transmitted by a Mylius gearbox, which was already used in Czechoslovakia in the further development of a Reichsbahn railcar.

A total of 835 examples were built, which were also exported to a large number of countries. They were found not only throughout the Eastern bloc, but also in Egypt, India and Iraq. Between 1977 and 1995 almost all examples in Czechoslovakia were fitted with a new 200 hp Tatra 930.51 engine. These locomotives were designated T 211.1 and many of them are still in service today. They have been listed as class 701.3 since 1988, while those not converted are listed as class 700. Some of the modernized locomotives were converted to the gauge of 760 or 1,000 mm and designated as T 29.0 or class 701.9.