Needing new motive power in the late 1920s, the Chicago Great Western Railroad placed orders with the Lima Locomotive Company and the Baldwin Locomotive Works for "Texas" type locomotives.

The first to arrive were fifteen of the 2-10-4s (road numbers 850 through 864) from Lima in 1930. Another three (road numbers 880 through 882) came from Lima in the same year. These eighteen locomotives were designated Class T-1 and had 29" dia. x 32" stroke cylinders, 63" dia. drivers, a 255 psi boiler pressure, a tractive effort of 84,600 lbs and each weighed 460,200 pounds.

Another nine, (road numbers 865 through 873) designated Class T-2 were received in 1930 from Baldwin. These locomotives were built to the same basic specifications as the T-1s, but weighed 463,980 pounds.

The last group of 2-10-4s were designated Class T-3 and consisted of six (road numbers 874 through 879) received from Baldwin in 1930 and three (road numbers 883 through 885) that came from Lima in 1931. These locomotives were similar to the T-1s and T-2s, but were lighter in weight at 455,310 pounds.

All thirty-six of the coal burning CGW "Texas" type locomotives were retired between 1948 and 1950, and today there are no surviving examples.