In 1919 the North Eastern Railway made plans to electrify its York-Newcastle stretch of the East Coast Main Line and this locomotive was a prototype built for hauling passenger trains.

Each of the three driving axles was powered by a pair of traction motors.

Electric locomotives of this design were common in continental Europe and the United States, but this was the only example on a British railway.

After grouping in 1923 the London and North Eastern Railway dropped the electrification project so (apart from some trials on the Shildon line) the locomotive was never used.

[1] It survived into British Railways ownership but was withdrawn in August 1950, and scrapped on 15 December 1950.