Since the Midland Railway had good experiences with their class 1000 compound 4-4-0s, the LMS ordered locomotives which were nearly identical. Out of a total of 195, 75 each were built by Vulcan Foundry and Derby, 25 by North British and 20 by Horwich.

Like the Midland locomotives, they were three-cylinder compounds with a central high pressure cylinder and two slightly larger outside low pressure cylinders. Changes included driving wheels which were three inches smaller, a superheater that was installed from the beginning and cylinders which measured 19 3/4 and 21 3/4 inches in diameter.

After only a short time, the cylinder diameters were changed to 19 and 21 inches to equal the Midland locomotives. They were used in the same tasks as their predecessors, what meant light, fast expresses. Their service life was longer than that of their predecessors, so the withdrawals took place between 1952 and 1961.