2-6-2 T Eb 3/5 # 5810 "Habersack" of the Dampfbahn Bern (Steam Railway Berne), built by SLM Winterthur in 1911 for the SBB. For the growing suburban traffic, the SBB procured a series of 34 locomotives of type Eb 3/5 in the years 1911 - 1916. The good performance of the steam twin engine of the locomotives of type B 3/4 # 1301 to # 1369, as well as the tender locomotives supplied by the Maffei locomotive factory to the Bodensee Toggenburgbahn in 1910 with the wheel arrangement 1'C'1, were the inspiration for the SLM-Eb 3/5. The rear running axle allows smooth running even in reverse, so that the locomotives do not have to be turned off at the terminus stations.
After the electrification of the last SBB lines at the beginning of the sixties, SBB also had locomotive # 5810 surplus. It was sold to the MThB (Mittel-Thurgau-Bahn) where it helped to strengthen the other steamlocomotives and diesel railcars. After the MThB also switched to electric operation in 1966, the Eb 3/5 # 5810 remained, together with the Ec 3/5 # 3 as an reserve and for the operation of special steam trains.
In 1974, the owner puts the locomotive up for sale. For CHF 30'000.- (scrap price!) the still young and not very financially strong Verein Dampfbahn Bern (DBB) bought the locomotive. In an internal fundraising campaign, the necessary money was collected. Thus the otherwise unavoidable journey of this locomotive to the scrapyard could be prevented. During the 1974 and 1975 seasons, the locomotive was in service in the Sensetal. In the 1975, the SBB hired it to run anniversary trains in the Winterthur area. This does not change the fact that the general condition of the locomotive (boiler)
no longer permitted further operation. It was therefore returned to Fribourg. After the transfer to the steam depot Burgdorf of the association DBB in 1985, its dismantling and main overhaul started immediately, which, after a long period of time and many setbacks, could finally be completed in 2009. Since then, the locomotive has already made some longer trips in Switzerland.
