When BR's Waverley Route was being shut down in 1969, some preservationists allegedly seriously considered reviving services using imported ex-DB engines - things like the 2-cylinder Br.01s and 03s.
Even if the money had been available for these things, there was still the problem of the German loading gauge which was noticeably higher and wider than that available on the Waverley.
As it happens, in those crazy days of 1970s preservation, a few individuals did manage to import a couple of ex-DB and ex-SNCF locomotives; Carnforth hosted a Br01.10 3-cylinder Pacific and a SNCF 231K, neither of which could operate outside the confines of the yard, owing to their width, height and weight! Both of these engines returned to the Continent after the Millennium; I understand 01.1104 returned to steam last year and is now running railtours on parts of the DB network.