From 1953, CKD developed the T 211.0 for light shunting service and works railways. It was a two-axle locomotive with a frame length of almost seven meters and a comparatively large cab. The cab door was usually at the rear, but on some locomotives it was on the sides of the cab. Even though all locomotives in this series were built for the standard gauge, they were designed for conversion to gauges between 600 and 1,676 mm. Power was delivered by the Tatra 111 A truck diesel with 165 hp, which had a displacement of 14.8 liters and twelve cylinders. The power was transmitted by a Mylius gearbox, which was already used in Czechoslovakia in the further development of a Reichsbahn railcar.

A total of 835 examples were built, which were also exported to a large number of countries. They were found not only throughout the Eastern bloc, but also in Egypt, India and Iraq. Between 1977 and 1995 almost all examples in Czechoslovakia were fitted with a new 200 hp Tatra 930.51 engine. These locomotives were designated T 211.1 and many of them are still in service today. They have been listed as class 701.3 since 1988, while those not converted are listed as class 700. Some of the modernized locomotives were converted to the gauge of 760 or 1,000 mm and designated as T 29.0 or class 701.9.