Silver Sidelines

The train arriving is Hornby’s Caprotti Black Five. Hornby R30227 aka 44755, very well packaged It has been advertised for a long time.  I placed an order and then I cancelled the order.  I didn’t like the look of the fitted lights.  However it has now been pointed out that the lights are removable – so I placed a second order and the engine has been delivered. Straight out of the box it ran very well.  Very well packaged, no broken or missing parts, thank you Mr Hornby. I had two issues.  I thought the lights far too prominent and since the engine only weighed 235gm it could not haul a decent train up my hills.  My old split chassis Bachmann Jubilees weigh 315gm and I have ballasted my older Hornby Black Fives up to 294gm - a difference of nearly 65gm with the new model.   I suspect part of the problem is that a factory fitted smoke generator Capriotti is promised and the chassis has been engineered with a big space for the missing equipment....

I have lost count of how many Black Fridays there are in November but I used each Friday (and some of the other days) to stock up on more of Hornby’s Super Detail Black Fives. One of Hornby’s newer models with Combined Top Feed, 45190 aka R2904 I bought 45190 my first super detail Black Five back in 2011.   I was underwhelmed by how lightweight the engine was and how little it could haul.   As a result it spent the next few years resting at the end of the engine shed headshunt.   Most recently I have been following Dan’s Stranraer Harbour thread on RMweb and have been inspired to revisit my Black Five.   https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/140736-now-with-videos-stranraer-%E2%80%98themed%E2%80%99-loft-layout-1959-64/   Some older models, 44781 and 44871 aka Hornby R2686A&B I don’t think that I had ever looked inside the engine but the front end of the boiler and smoke box is empty.   Despite what it doesn’t say on the box, all...