In 1925, the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio, built their prototype A-1 class 2-8-4 locomotive, and they demonstrated it on various railroads, proclaiming it as a "super power" locomotive with its high horsepower output. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), which was in search of larger locomotives, allowed for the A-1 to be tested in their Allegheny Subdivision, and while impressed with the A-1’s performance, the C&O opted to wait for reviews from other railroads before placing their own orders. By 1929, other railroads had rostered 2-8-4 "Berkshires", including the Erie Railroad, and then the C&O decided to roster their own super power designs. By that time, the C&O was operating under control of the Van Sweringen brothers, who formed the Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC) to standardize all of their railroad subsidiaries. In 1930, the C&O ordered the first of forty 2-10-4 "Texas"-types from Lima, which they classified as the T-1 class, and they shared identical design features with the Erie’s 2-8-4s.