In 1934 the Dutch National Railways (NS) decided to purchase 80 diesel-electric locomotives for shunting work and delivering cargo to/from small freight stations and depots, using steam locomotives for further transport. For the manufacturing of these 80 locomotives, the NS used the companies Werkspoor and the central workshop C. W. Zwolle. The production ended in 1951 with locomotive number 369. Twelve locomotives went missing during the Second World War, while 60 returned from Germany in 1945.
Out of the total of 169 locomotives, most were still in daily use until 2008. In 1972 all were repainted to the yellow/grey corporate color scheme. The nickname "Sik" (meaning goat) was given due to the bleating noise of these small locos.
