Starting in 1971, the German Federal Railways put 398 series locomotives of the BR 218 into service, using them for both passenger and freight trains. They are deployed on most non-electrified routes and reach a maximum speed of 140 km/h with a power output of 1,840 kW. Over time, the BR 218 has gone through several color variations, and since 1997, traffic red has become the standard color.