New Zealand Railways class K (1877)

After some British locomotives, the K class of 1877 was the first US locomotive to see service in New Zealand. Externally, compared to the British locomotives, it had many special features that caused a stir. These included the graceful bar frame, the swiveling trailing axle, many attachments located outside of the boiler and the rich decoration. The agile running characteristics in particular were apparently an advantage over the predecessors on the South Island of New Zealand. With the introduction of more powerful locomotives, they were used more on branch lines and some were moved to the North Island. After receiving new boilers, some with Belpaire fireboxes, they were retired in the 1920s.