62660 was built as the first member of the Large Director class in December 1919 at Gorton and entered service as GCR number 506. The engine cost £7,620 to build. It was named after Butler Henderson who was elected onto the GCR board, which his father chaired, in 1918.
It started its working life based at Neasden depot where it duties included hauling the regular to link duties on the London – Sheffield route plus some trip to Manchester. In June 1925 as LNER No 5506 the engine was transferred to Gorton shed where it undertook the same duties.
In April 1927 the locomotive was reallocated to the LNWR depot at Copley Hill in Leeds from where it operated into London Kings Cross instead of Marylebone. Shorty after this the new duties were undertaken by more powerful Great Northern Atlantic locomotives and Butler Henderson moved back to Neasden. It remained there on general duties until August 1938 when along with other members of the class its duties were downgraded and it was based at Sheffield and Mexborough to work on local trains.
Under BR ownership it was initially allocated to Immingham. From here it was transferred to Trafford Park to work on the Cheshire Lines Committee routes in February 1951.
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second-largest joint railway with 143 miles of track which served Birkenhead, Bilston and Wrexham Rhosddu were all places on the former which served Birkenhead, Chester, Knutsford Liverpool, Manchester, Northwich, Southport, Stockport, Warrington, Widnes and Winsford. It was jointly used by the Great Northern Railway (GNR), the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the Midland Railway (MR). On Grouping in 1923 the MR became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the MS&LR (which had by then become part of the Great Central Railway) and the GNR became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). before returning east to Lincoln in November 1953.
In November 1953 Butler Henderson moved back east to Lincoln where it remained until April 1957 when it moved to Sheffield Darnall from where it was withdrawn from service in October 1960 after completing 1,280,897 miles whilst in service.
It was identified as a locomotive that should be preserved. It was initially stored out of public view at Gorton works, where it was given a full overhaul and reverted as close as possible to its original GCR condition. After being at Gorton for a number of years it was moved to the British Transport Commission Museum at Clapham where it was put on static display.
In 1975 with the demise of the British Transport Commission it entered the National Collection and was loaned to the Great Central Railway (GCR) following an approach from the GCR.
Restoration began in 1981 and it was returned to steam in March 1982 as very little restoration work was required following the overhaul at Gorton some years earlier. It was retubed because the boiler insurers would not insure it without all the small and big tubes being replaced.
Whilst at the GCR the locomotive was fitted with an authentic whistle from classmate 62667 Somme.
It stayed on the GCR until the boiler certificate expired in 1992.
The locomotive was then placed on static display at the National Railway Museum in York before being loaned to Barrow Hill in 2005.
| Home Base | Current Status | Owner |
| On loan to Barrow Hill Roundhouse | On static display | National Railway Museum
NRM Object Number{1978-7030} |
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 