The ТУ4 was created for narrow-gauge railways that had a particularly low axle load. These included peat and forest railways, which were normally built in the 750 mm gauge typical of the Soviet Union. Some locomotives were built for the Cape Gauge used on Kamchatka. In the period from 1961 to 1972 more than 3,200 were built in the Kambarka machine factory. Directly after the end of the production of the ТУ4, the production of the ТУ6А was started, which later partially replaced it. 