At the end of the 1960s, it became clear that the DB lacked an electric locomotive for fast freight trains. The four-axle 140, from the so called Einheits-Lok family, was only permitted to travel at 110 km/h, while the more powerful six-axle 150 was only permitted to travel at 100 km/h, causing considerably greater wear and tear on the track. Ever since the European railway authorities introduced Trans-Europe Express Marchandises (TEEM) with top speeds of at least 100 km/h, the existing locomotives no longer fully met the requirements. Therefore, the DB decided to develop a heavy freight locomotive using components from the then state-of-the-art 103 and the multi-system locomotives of the 181 and 184 series. Development was in the hands of the Henschel and Krupp companies, who conjured up the 151 in just two years. The running gear was essentially from the 200 km/h class 103, the WB 372-22 traction motors had proven their durability in various Einheits-Lok series, and the DBS 54 pantograph type and other components were also part of the proven technology. To make the new series suitable for the widest possible range of applications, the six-axle locomotives were equipped not only with a train heating system, but also with an electric resistance brake, push-pull and double-traction control. Thus, in addition to heavy freight trains, the 151s also hauled scheduled local and push-pull trains. They could also be coupled to heavy express trains in the low mountain ranges. With the arrival of new series with three-phase AC technology, the reputation of the reliable six-axle locomotives declined.

Since the 2010s, many 151s have been retired from the DB fleet. The railway scrapped most of them, passing several examples on to its subsidiary RBH, or selling them to private railway companies (RUs) such as Hectorrail. In 2025, more than 50 locomotives still existed, most of them operational.

• Metal body and chassis

• Multi-part bogie frames with real springs and numerous applied details

• Separately applied braking system with brake shoes at wheel level

• Separately applied grab irons

• Coupling in a close-coupling mechanism with NEM standard shaft

• Powerful coreless motor with two balanced flywheels

• Drive via cardan/worm gear on three axles, four traction tires

• LokSound 5 decoder for DCC, Motorola®, M4, and Selectrix operation

• Automatic registration with control units featuring RailComPlus® or mfx® functionality

• PowerPack energy storage for uninterrupted power supply

• Two high-quality loudspeakers for optimal sound reproduction

• Universal electronics with plug-in slider for switching between two-rail and center-rail operation

• Two digitally controlled pantographs that can be raised and lowered individually

• Sensor-controlled sounds during cornering and braking just before coming to a standstill

• Directional lighting with white/red light change, switchable headlight on the train side

• Shunting, cab, control panel, and engine room lighting

• Braking sparks during hard braking

• Minimum radius = 360 mm

• Length over buffers = 224.1 mm