00 Black Five - Caprotti valve gear and low running plate

[David_Belcher]

On 01/10/2020 at 07:22, David_Belcher said:

Not tried it yet!!

Now I have...some tweaking of piston travel needed but otherwise all good for a 50 year old chassis.

 

David

[David_Belcher]

Glazing done. Merit driver and fireman added.

[33C]

Loving that, looks factory!

[mark axlecounter]

Hi David 

 

that is some cracking work you have achieved looks amazing. 
I have built 3 of the comet caprotti  low plate kits and the are nice to do. 
I have also modified Hornby’s black 5 to the 2 high running plate black 5’s And I have just built a 3rd high running plate black 5 for someone on Rmweb. 
keep up the good work 

 

Mark 

[David_Belcher]

1 hour ago, mark axlecounter said:

Hi David 

 

that is some cracking work you have achieved looks amazing. 
I have built 3 of the comet caprotti  low plate kits and the are nice to do. 
I have also modified Hornby’s black 5 to the 2 high running plate black 5’s And I have just built a 3rd high running plate black 5 for someone on Rmweb. 
keep up the good work 

 

Mark 

Surprised nobody's yet done a RTR Caprotti Five. Too niche?

[David_Belcher]

On 21/10/2020 at 23:06, mark axlecounter said:

Hi David 

 

that is some cracking work you have achieved looks amazing. 
I have built 3 of the comet caprotti  low plate kits and the are nice to do. 
I have also modified Hornby’s black 5 to the 2 high running plate black 5’s And I have just built a 3rd high running plate black 5 for someone on Rmweb. 
keep up the good work 

 

Mark 

Thanks for the kind words. Your converted/kit-built ones look superb; in comparison mine is riddled with compromises & errors but has been a really fun exercise in RTR conversion from some models that have been around longer than I have!! I think my painting & lining skills are improving too, as this project and the motorised Airfix Mogul (attached) I built a few years before it turned out better than many of my steam models.

 

David

Edited October 24, 2020 by David_Belcher
Photo added.

[cypherman]

9 hours ago, David_Belcher said:

Thanks for the kind words. Your converted/kit-built ones look superb; in comparison mine is riddled with compromises & errors but has been a really fun exercise in RTR conversion from some models that have been around longer than I have!! I think my painting & lining skills are improving too, as this project and the motorised Airfix Mogul (attached) I built a few years before it turned out better than many of my steam models.

 

David

Hi David, 

Can you tell mw what chassis did you use on that mogul ?.

[David_Belcher]

7 hours ago, cypherman said:

Hi David, 

Can you tell mw what chassis did you use on that mogul ?.

The old Tri-ang 3MT tank slightly modified at the back and minus a pony truck. Airfix crossheads/slide bars in place of the coarser Rovex originals. Kept the original driving wheels, pony is a metal-tyred replacement. Tender wheels from a Mainline Standard 4MT.

 

David

[cypherman]

Thanks for the info

[David_Belcher]

8 hours ago, David_Belcher said:

The old Tri-ang 3MT tank slightly modified at the back and minus a pony truck. Airfix crossheads/slide bars in place of the coarser Rovex originals. Kept the original driving wheels, pony is a metal-tyred replacement. Tender wheels from a Mainline Standard 4MT.

 

David

The 6w BZ van behind it is an extreme piece of Rovex bashing - Thompson coach bits on a Palethorpes sausage van underframe!

[Gibbo675]

42 minutes ago, David_Belcher said:

The 6w BZ van behind it is an extreme piece of Rovex bashing - Thompson coach bits on a Palethorpes sausage van underframe!

Hi David,

 

What other cut and shuts have you done ?

 

I quite like an imaginative cut and shut and have done a few myself. I once made a low running plate Caprotti Black Five out of a Graham Farrish N gauge version about thirty years ago for a friend of mine. He still has it although it has long since been caput.

 

Gibbo.

[David_Belcher]

2 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi David,

 

What other cut and shuts have you done ?

 

I quite like an imaginative cut and shut and have done a few myself. I once made a low running plate Caprotti Black Five out of a Graham Farrish N gauge version about thirty years ago for a friend of mine. He still has it although it has long since been caput.

 

Gibbo.

Amongst current stock, RTR conversions/bodges are:

 

Caprotti Black Five as described here.

The sausage van/Thompson BZ.

Standard 5MT from a Mainline 4MT with altered details, Airfix 9F cab roof/side sheets, Tri-ang Britannia tender, powered by a reversed Dublo 4MT tank chassis adapted for a RG4 motor with Romford wheels and Rovex 9F cylinders/valve gear!

 

Past efforts include a K3 on a doctored Tri-ang 3MT chassis with Footballer cylinders/gear underneath a Footballer running plate/cab with Hornby A1 boiler/smokebox sections plus Jamieson tender.

 

I'm sure there are cheaper/easier routes to all of these but it is enormous fun. The modelling equivalent of a cryptic crossword.

 

On the workbench for the future: Hornby Ivatt Mogul to be turned into its push-pull tank equivalent.

 

David

 

[David_Belcher]

2 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi David,

 

What other cut and shuts have you done ?

 

I quite like an imaginative cut and shut and have done a few myself. I once made a low running plate Caprotti Black Five out of a Graham Farrish N gauge version about thirty years ago for a friend of mine. He still has it although it has long since been caput.

 

Gibbo.

The Peco/Rivarossi Jubilee lends itself to all kinds of clever N Gauge conversions (Black Fives, Rebuilt Patriot, Standard 5MT, etc., etc.).

 

David

[David_Belcher]

10 minutes ago, David_Belcher said:

Amongst current stock, RTR conversions/bodges are:

 

Caprotti Black Five as described here.

The sausage van/Thompson BZ.

Standard 5MT from a Mainline 4MT with altered details, Airfix 9F cab roof/side sheets, Tri-ang Britannia tender, powered by a reversed Dublo 4MT tank chassis adapted for a RG4 motor with Romford wheels and Rovex 9F cylinders/valve gear!

 

Past efforts include a K3 on a doctored Tri-ang 3MT chassis with Footballer cylinders/gear underneath a Footballer running plate/cab with Hornby A1 boiler/smokebox sections plus Jamieson tender.

 

I'm sure there are cheaper/easier routes to all of these but it is enormous fun. The modelling equivalent of a cryptic crossword.

 

On the workbench for the future: Hornby Ivatt Mogul to be turned into its push-pull tank equivalent.

 

David

 

Oh, I nearly forgot the Mainline Peak which I put Jouef Class 40 bogies under to eliminate the worst feature of the Palitoy body shell, i.e. buffer beams in entirely the wrong place.

 

David

[Nelson Grove]

Hi David B.  (just to avoid confusion, I'm David W.!)

You'll recall we had a virtual conversation some time ago about top feeds, ladders and crank-driven lubricators.  I like your now-finished Caprotti 5, and you've forced me to turn my attention back to my 20 yr-old version - specifically to the as-yet unadded lubricator crank. I've started to fashion the crank and rod from a gear set from "Peter's Spares" although mounting the underside of the lubricators poses a question ... do I attach it to the underside of the running plate, as in the prototype, or do I somehow make a tiny bracket on the side of the chassis?  - although there's not much available room inside the wheels, and removing Hornby wheels is not recommended, apparently!  Following prototype means that there'll have to be a way to release it from the running plate to permit servicing access etc.  And at my age, the eyesight doesn't cope well with tiny drills and self-tappers etc!

Incidentally, I chickened out of lining my 'Caprotti' and kept it in post-war unlined black, as per the classic Eric Treacy photo.  If I ever sort out the crank, I'll post a photo!

Regards,  David W.

[alexturner2]

Super thread and modellling, I took inspiration from you but for my model I started with a more recent Hall chassis I picked up off eBay, and made a few less mods to the bodyshell than you did so it’s less accurate but still to me captures the look of the prototype. I haven’t finished off sanding and filing the cylinders and the steam pipes need beefing up but it’s finished enough I thought it would share it. A lot of hacking and filling but I lovely project and thanks for the inspiration! I actually built another version using a black 5 chassis and GBL bodyshell but though it looked ok the removal of parts of the valve gear ans weight from the body seemed to destablise the chassis so it never ran well. This version with the Hall chassis has less mechanical mods and runs just fine. Great idea! Of course Hornby announced theirs just days after I finished  For a £75 project including a DCC chip this was great.