The Saxon state railway classified locomotives in class VIII, which had the wheel arrangement 4-4-0 and pulled a large portion of the express trains. The first model in the series was designated VIII 1 and had been in use in small numbers since 1870. The designation of the VIII V 1, which had been built since 1896 based on the Prussian S 3, indicated the use of a compound engine. Together with its two sister models, which were developed around the same time, it quickly ousted its predecessor from the high-value services.
With its 1,885 mm driver diameter, it reached a top speed of not very outstanding 85 km/h, but at that time this was sufficient for express trains. In the years 1896 and 1897, ten examples each with cylinder diameters of 460 and 680 mm and 500 and 700 mm were built. The last models built came with cylinder diameters of 480 and 630 mm, as well as a boiler pressure increased to 13 bar at 100 km/h.
Despite the good efficiency of the compound engine, a lack of power became apparent, especially after the introduction of faster six-coupled express locomotives, which soon made the VIII V 1 no longer the first choice. The low adhesive weight of just over 30 tonnes was also a disadvantage in mountainous areas. The Reichsbahn took over 23 of the 32 engines built and retired all of them by 1932. They were classified as series 1315 and 1371.