5 inch gauge BR Class 7 "John of Gaunt" 4-6-2

A 5 inch gauge BR Standard Class 7 No.70012 "John of Gaunt", professionally built by John Adams of Poole. He was a man whose work we hold in high regard - one of the great builders of the last fifty years, we rate him as one of a small group which would include Harry Powell, Louis Raper, Ron Martin and Andrew Robelou.

For some years we owned a new and unsteamed Black 5 he built for an American collector, it was a handsome thing to display in the office. It eventually passed on to a new owner - the last we heard it remains unsteamed, now in a glass case!

The Midland Compound he built came to us in part exchange against a new Stafford back in 2013. This one had been steamed, so we had the opportunity to see how it ran ourselves. As we said at the time, it went as well as it looked - another very finely made locomotive.

Whilst better known for his 5 inch gauge locomotives, Adams also built a pair of Stirling eight foot singles in 7 1/4 inch gauge, along with a Duchess.

The Britannia dates back to the early 1970s. It was bought at Christies in 1973, in the 50 years since it appears to have seen very little use - we suspect that its piece of display track has seen a good deal more use than any club track during that time.

It arrived with us having apparently not been steamed in many years, given the accumulation of dust and cobwebs. Cleaned up, the paintwork is still in fine original condition with only a few minor marks, most notably on the tender.

The combustion chamber boiler has had a twice working hydraulic test with new certification issued - it's in good condition. We love the blowdown valve, disguised as an exhaust injector on the offside - a very neat and practical idea.

The chassis runs quietly on air with even, well-defined beats, the regulator leaking slightly when cold.

Prior to steam test we temporarily fitted a new pressure gauge to replace the original "FSD" gauge which didn't register; a cracked gauge glass was replaced along with seals for both gauges, and a new injector was fitted.

On test the engine proved free-steaming, using little water while running quietly with well-defined exhaust beats. Both hand and axle pumps worked, the replacement injector works reliably with slight overflow.

After a prolonged period out of use there were, not unexpectedly, various issues which would require attention if intended to recommission for regular running:

• Draincocks work well, although not easy to operate given the linkage design
• Safety valves accumulate. We wouldn't replace - they are the hand-made originals with prototypical fluted bronze bobbins rather than balls - however they will require modification to work reliably
• Axle pump gland requires re-packing - it works well enough, although leaks
• There is slight movement in both motion brackets when running

A fine example of this most popular of prototypes, modelled over the years in everything from OO to 15 inch gauge. This one rates as one of the very best we've had in 5 inch gauge.