Electric locomotive E 16 09 of the German Reichsbahn Society. At the beginning of the 1920s, the Reichsbahn had a need for powerful electric locomotives for express train service on the planned Bavarian network around Munich. At the same time, the first locomotives with the innovative single-axle drive design Buchli in Switzerland, specifically the series Ae 3/6 I, proved to be very effective, leading to the order of the first machines of a significantly heavier design as early as 1922. The locomotives, capable of speeds up to 120 km/h, achieved a power output of 2,340 kW. In the early years of operation, the high-quality express trains originating from Munich were among the tasks of the E 16. They primarily hauled express and fast trains in Bavaria and to Austria.