The Chemins de Fer du Nord had need of a locomotive able to travel from Paris to Lille, pulling a 300-ton passenger train at 120 km/h (75 mph).

In 1923, during the tenure of Louis Breville (1918–1928), Marc de Caso designed the four cylinder compound pacific locomotive, with superheating, and a narrow firebox 3 m long.

The locomotives were not equipped with mechanical stokers which made the job of the fireman harder as he had to throw the coal uniformly throughout the firebox.

The cab was not enclosed, a characteristic found throughout the Chemins de Fer du Nord, and drivers gave it the nickname rendez-vous des courants d'air.

The class was numbered 3.1201 to 3.1290 before the nationalisation of the Chemins de Fer du Nord in 1938, and were the most prestigious locomotives of the company.