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In 1906, a milestone in the development of Prussian passenger locomotives was reached: the P 8, as the later class 38 was named
in both the East and West regions, was put into operation. Robert Garbe, Head of the Locomotive Department at the KPEV Railway
Management for Berlin, was responsible for the development of this successful engine. Superheated steam technology, which
was still in its infancy, was able to provide power and economic efficiency outstanding for the time. The locomotive was devoid
of technical extravagances, which is perhaps one of the secrets to its success. The characteristic feature for the P 8 was the larger
space between the middle driving axle and the rear coupling axle. Over 3,700 specimens of this versatile, triple-coupled engine
were built by German factories alone until 1923. In total, together with the reproductions constructed in Romania, almost 4,000
P 8 locomotives were produced.
Over the years, the appearance of these locomotives became as diverse as can be expected due to the high quantities manufac-
tured: small or large smoke deflectors, or no smoke deflectors at all, were featured on both the Reichsbahn and the Bundesbahn,
Giesl ejectors were used instead of round funnels in the GDR, and riveted and later welded smokeboxes were just some of the va-
rieties produced. The steam locomotive, later designated the BR 3810–40, had an output of 880 kW (1,180 PS), weighed approx-
imately 130 t including a fully-loaded tender, and was permitted to run at speeds of 100 km/h forwards and 50 km/h backwards.
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