Of the three classes of 4-8-2 locomotives the Florida East Coast had procured in the twenties, the class 401 was the biggest in numbers with 52 delivered by ALCO-Schenectady between 1924 and 1926. Although they were lighter than the class 801, they had bigger drivers with a diameter of 73 inches or 1,854 mm. So their tasks were not only passenger trains, but also express freights which carried fruits and vegetables grown in Florida northwards.

After the FEC had gone bankrupt in 1931, it started to sell many locomotives to other railroads. Most members of the class 401 which were sold found their new operator in the South East or in Mexico. Ten were even sold to the Western Pacific and shipped to the West coast. By 1955, all FEC locomotives had been either sold or retired. The WP used them into the end of steam, while a two-digit number was still in service in Mexico in the sixties.