NER 66 Aerolite

North Eastern Railway (NER) No. 66 Aerolite is a preserved British steam locomotive. It was classified X1 by the LNER. It was capable of reaching 55 mph (89 km/h).

NER 66 Aerolite
66 Aerolite preserved in the National Railway Museum
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Gateshead works Build date 1869 Total produced 1 Rebuild date 1892, 1902
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-2-2T, rebuilt as 4-2-2T, rebuilt again as 2-2-4T Leading dia. 3 ft 7 in (1.092 m) Driver dia. 5 ft 7+3⁄4 in (1.721 m) Trailing dia. 3 ft 1+1⁄4 in (0.946 m) Wheelbase 20 ft 7 in (6.27 m) Length 32 ft 8+1⁄2 in (9.970 m) Axle load 19.5 long tons (19.8 t; 21.8 short tons) Loco weight 2-2-2T: 37.0 long tons (37.6 t; 41.4 short tons) 4-2-2T: 38.15 long tons (38.76 t; 42.73 short tons) 2-2-4T: 44.10 long tons (44.81 t; 49.39 short tons) Fuel capacity 2.5 long tons (2.5 t; 2.8 short tons) Water cap. 1,620 imp gal (7,400 L; 1,950 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 11 sq ft (1.0 m2) Boiler 3 ft 9+3⁄4 in (1.162 m) diameter Boiler pressure 175 psi (1.21 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 65 sq ft (6.0 m2)  • Tubes 701 sq ft (65.1 m2)  • Total surface 766 sq ft (71.2 m2) Cylinders 2 inside (1 HP 1 LP) High-pressure cylinder 13 in × 20 in (330 mm × 508 mm) Low-pressure cylinder 18.5 in × 20 in (470 mm × 510 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 6,390 lbf (28.4 kN)
Career Operators NER, LNER Class LNER: X1 Numbers 66 Official name Aerolite Retired 1933 Disposition Static display

History

Aerolite was built in 1869 as a replacement for an engine of the same name built by Kitson's for the Great Exhibition in 1851 and which was destroyed in a collision in 1868. The engine, like its predecessor, was used to haul the Mechanical Engineer's saloon. Originally a 2-2-2WT, side tanks were added 1886, and around this time it received the number 66.

In 1892 Aerolite was rebuilt into a 4-2-2T, destroying much of the original engine. The well tank was removed, the side tanks expanded, and the two-cylinder Worsdell-von Borries compounding system applied. In 1902 it was again rebuilt into a 2-2-4T.

Aerolite was withdrawn in 1933 and preserved in 1934 at the LNER's York museum. It is a static exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York.

References

• Baxter, Bertram (1986). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, Volume 5A: North Eastern Railway, Hull and Barnsley Railway. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. p. 125. ISBN 0-903485-54-0.

External links

• The Wilson Worsdell X1 2-2-4T Locomotive 'Aerolite' LNER Encyclopedia