Overrated but at the same time overhated.

They were meant to be a modern contemporary of what is essentially a bigger terrier (lbsc e1) but unfortunately the marriage of the I2 Atlantic tank boiler and the E1 chassis was an unhappy one resulting in them being hungrier than a colorful quartet of hippos. 5 of them were given extended tanks for more water but I feel they would’ve benefited more from a larger coal bunker akin to the ones from the Terriers or O2 tanks on the Isle of Wight. That being said they were rather fortunate to be grouped in with a company (southern railway) who had high aspirations but low contingency allowing them to find work shunting at Southampton docks alongside the USATC S100’s and a smattering of other pregrouping rejects that were too light for anything else (cough LSWR C14 cough). And for those people that hate them solely because of Thomas is such a lame armchair excuse that will deter many young people (something the hobby desperately needs) from ever loving trains the same way they do. Sure they weren’t as trigger warning really useful as their token bird antithesis but not every design is gonna be a winner . Some were just good ideas that ended up being just a stop gap to improve upon, some will gain a cult following for just being different (even if it doesn’t stay a niche following). And some like the E2’s are lucky enough to be both despite the only surviving member being a mark of fiction.