The DR Class 119 was an East German Deutsche Reichsbahn diesel locomotive that was built in Romania, more or less as Design by committee of several communist countries. When the Deutsche Bahn AG formed up in 1993 it was redesignated as DB Class 219.
They were nicknamed "U-boats", "Karpatenschreck" ("Carpathian Terror") or "Ceaușescus Rache" ("Ceaușescu's revenge"), due to the numerous technical problems the engines suffered before redesign.
History.
The Class 119 was basically a development of the successful Class 118. In the late 1970s the DR needed locomotives with electric train heating, an axle load ("Achsfahrmasse") of under 16 t and a power output of over 2,000 horsepower. As a result of the Comecon agreements, the East German economy was not allowed to build diesel locomotives with more than 1,500 horsepower. The locomotive builders of the Soviet Union could only supply heavy engines - the Classes 130-132 and 142. The only engine builder, who also wanted to use the "construction kit" ("Baukasten") principle was the "23rd August" Locomotive Works, Bucharest, in Romania. The Romanian manufacturer declared itself also ready to install diesel engines produced in East Germany. The installation of such engines did not happen, however, because there were coordination problems in East Germany's national planning commission. In order the fulfil the order, the Bucharest factory installed engines under licence from the West German manufacturer, MTU.
Other countries in Comecon also received subcontractor orders. East Germany itself supplied "inter alia" hydrodynamic transmissions and axle motors.
The DR procured 200 locomotives from 1976 to 1985. The locomotive drive was, however, plagued by shortcomings and problems from the start. In its early days, 50% of the locomotives were in the workshops at any one time. After 1990, several attempts were made to improve the unreliable locomotives through conversions or modernizations. However, these attempts proved to be too expensive. By 2001 they were sold or scrapped.