The Midland Railway's class 2000 was a heavy suburban tank locomotive designed in the tradition of the popular 0-4-4T wheel arrangement, but with an additional driving axle. The water tanks extended to the smokebox and, in conjunction with the shape of the side windows in the cab, led to the nickname “flatiron”. Another feature was the cutouts in the water tanks, which guaranteed accessibility to the inside motion.

The boiler was replaced between 1920 and 1926 with a new one with superheater and Belpaire firebox. In order to guarantee sufficient curve negotiation, the first driving axle was designed with lateral play. This was probably the cause for the oscillations at higher speeds, which led to several derailments. They were soon only used in freight service and were withdrawn between 1935 and 1938.