The Midland's own Derby Works had reached their capacity, and were unable to produce additional engines at the time, and many British locomotive builders were recovering from a labor dispute over working hours, thus the railway placed an order with the Baldwin Locomotive Works for 30 engines.

These engines were manufactured in four batches and shipped disassembled as kits of parts, before being re-assembled at Derby.

Baldwin constructed similar 2-6-0's for the Great Central Railway (GCR Class 15) and Great Northern Railway (GNR Class H1) around the same time.

[1][2] The engines were designed with little or no consideration to British practice, having several distinct characteristics of American practice, such as the use of bar frames, sand carried in a second dome on top of the boiler, and eight-wheel bogie tenders.

This article relating to steam locomotives operated in England is a stub.