At the beginning of the nineteen-sixties, German locomotive manufacturer LEW in Hennigsdorf created two new series of electric locomotive for the Deutsche Reichsbahn: Class E 11 for express passenger services and sister Class E 42 for freight and passenger train services.
These structurally simple electric locomotives proved to be reliable workhorses and remained in regular use with both DR and later Deutsche Bahn until well into the nineties.. The two series were later redesignated as Classes 109 and 142 respectively.
After withdrawal from DB, several class members had a new lease of life with private operators including a handful that are still in service in the 2020s. Other examples have been preserved in museums and some still see occasional use on the main line.
Die Baureihen E 11 und E 42 - Die Holzroller DVD illustrates the lives of these two iconic classes, using archive film from the 1960s as well as through the DR years to more recent DB and private ownership and preservation. 58 minutes running time. German commentary.