In the late 1960s the railway of the German Democratic Republic (DR) ordered successors for their V200 class. The new class should have an electric heating to pull also passenger trains. The first two series (class 130 and 131) did not have a heating equipment yet. In 1973 the first of 709 samples of the electric heater equipped 132 class had been delivered to the DR. The externally quite similar 130/131/132 had a diesel electric drive and a 3000 HP 16 cylinder 4 stroke prime mover 16 Tsch N26/26 5 D 49 from Russian Kolomna plant. In 1977 the DR added six 4000 HP units called class 142 that based on the 132. In the 1990s after the DR and the western German DB merged the 130 and 131 were scrapped or sold and many of the now called BR 232 (ex 132) had been equipped with new vents to lower the noise. Some received new Kolomna motors, too and were named BR 233. Some of the 232 are still in freight service at the DB. Many of the 130/131/142 are in use of private railways. The whole loco family is known under the nickname Ludmilla in Germany.
