The H7 was a class of 36 Consoliddations built by Baldwin for the NC&StL between 1903 and 1907. Compared to the H6 introduced in 1902, they had a larger tube surface, but were identical in other dimensions. This included drivers of 56 inches, 21 by 28 inch cylinders, a grate of 46,6 square feet and a boiler pressure of 195 psi. The first batch of ten was designated H7-37 due to their starting tractive effort of roughly 37,000 pounds, identical to the H6-37.

Next were 16 H7A-37 and ten H7B-37 which had fewer tubes. While the original H7 and the H7A had Stephenson valve gear, the H7B was built with Walschaerts valve gear. Starting in 1918, the railroad's own workshops started to superheat the class. They now had a boiler pressure of only 180 psi, but the cylinder diameter had been increased to 23 inches. As this resulted in a higher starting tractive effort, they were designated H7C-40. The class was retired between 1946 and 1951.