Furness Railway K2

Furness Railway K2 class
A K2 at Barrow-in-Furness in 1910.
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer W. F. Pettigrew Builder Sharp, Stewart and Company Serial number 4174–4179, 4651–4652 Build date 1896 (6), 1900 (2) Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0  • UIC 2′B Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 6 ft 0 in (1.829 m) Length 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m) Loco weight 41 long tons 6 cwt (92,500 lb or 42 t) 41 long tons 6 hundredweight (42.0 t; 46.3 short tons) Tender weight 28 long tons 5 cwt (63,300 lb or 28.7 t) 28 long tons 5 hundredweight (28.7 t; 31.6 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 3 long tons 10 cwt (7,800 lb or 3.6 t) 3 long tons 10 hundredweight (3.6 t; 3.9 short tons) Water cap 2,500 imp gal (11,000 l; 3,000 US gal) Boiler pressure 150 lbf/in2 (1.03 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 13,770 lbf (61.3 kN)
Career Operators FR » LMS Class FR: 21 class ("K2") Power class LMS: 1P Numbers FR: 21–22, 34–35 (renumbered 44–47) 36–37, 124–125; LMS: 10135–10142 Nicknames Larger Seagulls Withdrawn 1929–1931 Disposition All scrapped

The Furness Railway 21 class (classified "K2" by Bob Rush)^[1] or "Larger Seagulls", were built a class of eight 4-4-0 steam locomotives designed by W. F. Pettigrew and built by Sharp, Stewart and Company of Glasgow for the Furness Railway. Six were built in 1896, and two more in 1900. They were built to supersede the 120 class on the heavier and more important trains. They had 6-foot-0-inch (1.829 m) diameter driving wheels with 18-by-24-inch (457 mm × 610 mm) cylinders.

Numbering

The first six of 1896 were numbered 21, 22, 34, 35, 36 and 37 by the Furness Railway (works numbers were 4174–4179). In 1900, two extra engines were added to the class, Furness Railway numbers 124–125. (works numbers 4651–4652). In 1913, two engines, FR Nos. 34 and 37, were fitted with experimental Phoenix smokebox superheaters, however, these were removed the following year. At some point in time locomotives 21, 22, 34 and 35 were renumbered 44–47 respectively.

By 1923 and the grouping of the FR into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, all eight engines were still in service, and received LMS numbers, these being 10135–10142 (in order of their later numbers). They lasted until the late 1920s and early 1930s, performing secondary duties on the home turf, between Barrow-in-Furness and Whitehaven.

Tenders

The six-wheeled tenders that this class used were also used by the Furness Railway D3 0-6-0 tender engines. They carried 2,500 imperial gallons (11,000 l; 3,000 US gal) of water and 3.5 long tons (3.6 tonnes) of coal, their weight being 28.25 long tons (28.70 tonnes).

In fiction

Edward the Blue Engine, from the Thomas the Tank Engine books, is described as bearing "a quite striking similarity" to the Furness 'Larger Seagulls'.^[2] The Edwardian 4-4-0 type is a fairly common design pattern in British steam locomotives. However Edward differs in having a cab with dual glazed side windows, a much more characteristic feature of North Eastern railway locomotives. The tapered non-circular spectacle plate windows and the higher boiler line are distinctively those of the NER Class R1.^[3]

See also

• Steam locomotives of the Furness Railway

References