Furness Railway K2 Tender Engine No. 36

This postcard shows Furness Railway No. 36, which was built in 1896 by Sharp Stewart & Co Limited. This tender engine was one of six in the 4-4-0 K2 class, nicknamed "Large Seagull" as they superseded the smaller K1 "Seagull" passenger engine class. Numbers 21, 22, and 34 to 37 were bought by the Furness Railway as a single batch in 1896. Numbers 124 and 125 were bought in 1900. These were used for pulling heavy and important trains. All eight were in service until 1923.

The tenders fitted to this class were the first of the modern design to be built, having straight sides and flared tops.

Edward the engine in the Thomas the Tank Engine Railway series was apparently based on the K2 series. The story goes that Edward was transferred temporarily from Barrow to Sodor, and was then bought and put in charge of his own branch line. 

Note that the Furness Railway often re-numbered locomotives and re-used numbers from de-commissioned locomotives, which can sometimes cause confusion when trying to identify engines in old photographs.

The postcard was published by The Locomotive Publishing Company.

Reference: The Furness Railway. RW Rush. 1973. The Oakwood Press.

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