After Johnson had rebuilt two 2-2-2 locomotives into 4-2-2 Bogie Singles, the first class of new built 4-2-2 locomotives of the Great Eastern was introduced in 1879. Designed in Massey Bromley's short tenure, they were in some respects similar to the GNR's Stirling Singles, but had smaller driving wheels and cylinders. At seven and a half feet (2,286 mm), the wheels were still the biggest of the GER, even bigger than those of the class P43 from 1898. Ten were built by Dübs which got the numbers 245 to 254, while ten more built by Kitson got the number 600 to 609. The locomotives built by Kitson had a firebox that was wider, but shallower.

None of these locomotives was ever rebuilt with a new boiler, but these built by Kitson later got some changes in the cylinders, valves and frames. Instead of the splashers with holes, all later got ones with plain sheets. In 1888, No. 251 became the first mainline locomotive to get Holden's design of oil firing apparatus. All locomotives of this class were withdrawn between 1890 and 1893, well before the introduction of Holden's P43 class of bogie singles.