The development of the T16 locomotives was influenced by the ideas of Karl Gölsdorf. The design included three Gölsdorf axles – the first, third, and fifth – and enabled elimination of the articulated frame that had been used on the Prussian T 15. While mainly bought for banking trains up steep gradients, they were also used for freight trains and shunting. They proved to be more powerful and economical than the T 15 class. Between 1905 and 1913, 343 T 16 locomotives were built by Berliner Maschinenbau for the Prussian State Railways, and 12 by Elsässische Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Grafenstaden for the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine. During construction, some design changes were made; for example the drive was moved from the fourth axle to the third in order to reduce the length and weight of the connecting rod and therefore to reduce hammer blow. These early locomotives were sometimes referred to as "T 16.0". After the World War I, 65 locomotives were surrendered, including 57 to Poland, and three to the Free City of Danzig. The PKP classified its T 16 and T 16.1 as TKw1. Belgium received 17 T16.0 as war reparations. The Deutsche Reichsbahn renumbered the T 16s 94 201–467, although the last three were actually T 16.1s – this error was corrected in 1934. In addition one T 16 locomotive had been renumbered as a T 16.1 in error, but 94 501 was withdrawn in 1931 before the error was corrected. Locomotives 94 462–464 came from Alsace-Lorraine. Eight T 16s remained in Alsace-Lorraine and eventually became SNCF 1-050.TA.101 to 112. In addition the SNCF inherited five T 16s from the Chemins de fer du Nord and twelve from the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée that the two railway companies had received as war reparations. Many of the DR locomotives were retired in the 1930s. During World War II, a number of Polish locomotives, and one Belgium locomotive were taken into stock, as 94 468–490. One Belgian locomotive was in the Soviet zone at the end of the war and became 94 1811 in the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn fleet. In Poland, there were 39 TKw1 class locomotive in the PKP fleet; the last TKw1 locomotive was retired in 1970.
Preservation
Most T 16s stayed in the west; the last Deutsche Bundesbahn 94.2 was retired in 1955. The few locomotives that stayed in the east had been retired by 1968. The last locomotive, 94 249 was transferred to the Dresden Transport Museum. In 1983, it was de-accessioned and traded to Heiligenstädter Eisenbahnverein for 60 tonnes of scrap. On 26 May 1994, the State of Thuringia declared it a listed monument.
