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).[1]

NER 66 Aerolite
66 Aerolite preserved in the National Railway Museum
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderGateshead works
Build date1869
Total produced1
Rebuild date1892, 1902
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-2-2T, 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)
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:
 • Firegrate area		11 sq ft (1.0 m2)
Boiler3 ft 9+3⁄4 in (1.162 m) diameter
Boiler pressure175 psi (1.21 MPa)
Heating surface766 sq ft (71.2 m2)
 • Tubes701 sq ft (65.1 m2)
 • Firebox65 sq ft (6.0 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 figures
Tractive effort6,390 lbf (28.4 kN)
Career
OperatorsNER, LNER
ClassLNER: X1
Numbers66
Official nameAerolite
Retired1933
DispositionStatic 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Aerolite was withdrawn in 1933 and preserved in 1934 at the LNER's York museum.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
  1. Train: The Definitive Visual History. DK. October 2014. p. 98. ISBN 9781465436580. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  • 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.
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