The locomotive of this series was an internal design of the Lübeck-Büchener Eisenbahn (LBE). It was based on the Prussian G 8.2 but had numerous modifications, e.g. it was significantly longer and therefore did not appear as compact. They were primarily intended for heavy freight traffic between Hamburg and Lübeck. Since these locomotives were also to be used in passenger train service, the running gear and brakes were designed for maximum speeds of up to 75 km/h. After the nationalisation of the LBE in 1938, these locomotives came to the Reichsbahn and were re-classified as 56.30.

Our locomotive entered service in 1929 and was taken over by the Reichsbahn in 1938. After the war, it remained in the British zone and was taken out of service by the DB as early as 1950. Until it was finally taken out of service in 1975, it was a company locomotive at various companies, most recently at the Carl Alexander mine in Baesweiler near Aachen. It came to our museum in 1975 and is the only surviving example of this class.