Vulcan (Great Western Railway broad gauge locomotive)

What it is

This is a black and white photograph of the early broad gauge steam locomotive Vulcan, issued by the Great Western Railway as a postcard in 1904. The photograph dates from around 1870. The locomotive was delivered to the company in 1837 and was first built as a conventional engine with a separate tender. It was rebuilt as a tank locomotive in 1846 and withdrawn in 1868. It was then used as a boiler at Reading for two more years.

Why it matters

Vulcan belonged to the broad gauge that Brunel chose for the Great Western Railway. The gauge was the distance between the rails, and the choice shaped the line for decades. The engine's rebuilds show how railway companies changed their machines as they learned from experience.

Look closer

• What features of the locomotive, such as the chimney and large wheels, tell you about early steam design?
• Why might a railway company print a picture of an old engine on a postcard in 1904?
• What does this image leave out about the workers who ran and maintained engines like Vulcan?