The GtL 4/4 was a local railway locomotive for freight traffic with four coupled axles. Although the first machines were built as early as 1911, the majority of this class was procured during the period of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. In contrast to the previously procured BB II, the chassis no longer consisted of two bogies, but all axles were mounted in one frame. The Gölsdorf system was used to run through tight curves and the second and third axles were designed to be laterally shiftable. This made maintenance easier and also made two of the four cylinders superfluous, which proved to be a great advantage, especially on local railways. The use of superheated steam, which was already mandatory at that time, also contributed to reducing operating costs.

After two pre-series locomotives in 1911, another series was created in 1914, which also comprised only eleven pieces. From 1921, more locomotives of this type were procured for the Bavarian group administration of the Reichsbahn, with the first 40 units being improved in detail and somewhat heavier. Of these, the LAG procured two identical vehicles. Another 64 locomotives followed between 1923 and 1927, which had a further increased weight, which could be attributed to increased supplies. When they were put into service, they were given the new Reichsbahn numbers that had been introduced later on the older locomotives. Overall, the engines that were procured for Bavaria and the Reichsbahn were assigned the numbers 98 801 to 98 917. Deviating from this, the LAG machines were renumbered 98 1601 and 98 1602 when they were taken over in 1938.

In the years between 1934 and 1941, 29 locomotives were converted to a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement by equipping them with a front Bissel axle. The boiler and cab were moved forward to improve weight distribution. These machines were allowed to run at 55 km/h and were designated as class 98¹¹. With the exception of eight that were lost in the war or remained in Poland, all of the non-converted locomotives came to the Bundesbahn. From the mid-1950s, decommissioning began, so that only two pieces were given a computer number in 1968. The engines of the class 98¹¹ all survived the war and only one came to the Reichsbahn, all the others to the Bundesbahn. Their service life ended between 1960 and 1968.