In 1887, Matthew Holmes, Locomotive Superintendent of the North British Railway, decided to stop building goods locomotives with 17” cylinders and replace them with a larger class than the previous Drummonds. Utilising the same wheelbase and firebox as the Drummond 17” but with a new standard boiler, the first six NBR Class C locomotives were introduced in 1888 and such was their success that by 1900, 168 locomotives had been built.
Built at Cowlairs in August 1891, NBR 659 was rebuilt with the NBR Standard Boiler in September 1915. Sent to the Western Front in October 1917, numbered as ROD 6659, on the locomotive's return it was named as Gough in April 1914, being renumbered as 9659 in 1926, then 5235 in 1946 under the LNER. In January 1949, under British Railways, Gough was renumbered as 65235 at which point it was allocated to Bathgate.