The Kitson-Still Diesel-steam Locomotive.

It is a big jump from the small railcar to the giant steam locomotive employed on trains like the Auckland-Wellington Limited or the “Flying Scotsman.” The L. & N.E. Railway—itself a big user of light railcars—is now conducting experiments with a novel new heavy steam engine—the Kitson-Still Diesel-steam locomotive. Built by Kit-son & Co., Ltd., of Leeds (one of the oldest locomotive makers in the world), the Kitson-Still machine incorporates an eight-cylinder four-stroke oil engine having a bore of 13 ½ins. and a stroke of 15 ½ ins. The cylinders are arranged horizontally across the engine, four in front and four behind a common crankshaft, which is centrally geared through a pair of double-helical gears, to a jackshaft, from which coupling rods transmit power to the wheels.

Designed for mixed traffic, the locomotive is of the 2—6—2 type with 60 in. wheels.