NER 66 Aerolite (original) (raw)

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NER 66 Aerolite
66 Aerolite preserved at National Railway Museum
Type and originPower typeSteamBuilderGateshead worksBuild date1869Total produced1Rebuild date1892, 1902
SpecificationsConfiguration:​ • Whyte2-2-2T, rebuilt as 4-2-2T, rebuilt again as 2-2-4TLeading 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)Wheelbase20 ft 7 in (6.27 m)Length32 ft 8+1⁄2 in (9.970 m)Axle load19.5 long tons (19.8 t; 21.8 short tons)Loco weight2-2-2T: 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 capacity2.5 long tons (2.5 t; 2.8 short tons)Water cap.1,620 imp gal (7,400 L; 1,950 US gal)Firebox:​ • Grate area11 sq ft (1.0 m2)Boiler3 ft 9+3⁄4 in (1.162 m) diameterBoiler pressure175 psi (1.21 MPa)Heating surface:​ • Firebox65 sq ft (6.0 m2) • Tubes701 sq ft (65.1 m2) • Total surface766 sq ft (71.2 m2)Cylinders2 inside (1 HP 1 LP)High-pressure cylinder13 in × 20 in (330 mm × 508 mm)Low-pressure cylinder18.5 in × 20 in (470 mm × 510 mm)Valve gearStephenson
Performance figuresTractive effort6,390 lbf (28.4 kN)
CareerOperatorsNER, LNERClassLNER: X1Numbers66Official name_Aerolite_Retired1933DispositionStatic display

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).[1]

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Aerolite was withdrawn in 1933 and preserved in 1934 at the LNER's York museum.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 was moved to Shildon Locomotion Museum from National Railway Museum in 2023 due to renovations at an engine shed. It is a static exhibit at Shildon Locomotion Museum in Shildon, County Durham as of 2024.

Aerolite is the basis for the Thomas & Friends character named Whiff[_broken anchor_], an industrial rubbish engine whose job is to shunt rubbish to the Sodor rubbish dump, which was renamed to the Sodor Recycling Plant.

  1. ^ Train: The Definitive Visual History. DK. October 2014. p. 98. ISBN 9781465436580. Retrieved 16 September 2020.