5 inch gauge LMS Black 5

An exceptionally well-built 5 inch gauge LMS Black 5, the work of a retired engineer, a man now in his nineties who, by his own admission, spends more time in the garden than the workshop these days.

The locomotive was built over a thirty year period. Fit and finish of machined parts is excellent, platework well-formed and neatly riveted, the paintwork well done.

It came to us new and unsteamed, so we had the privilege of putting the first fire in it. Other than some minor adjustment to the draincocks - involving the manufacture and fitting of some seriously small PTFE washers - and replacement safety valves, the engine ran beautifully "out of the box", a great credit to the builder.

Free-steaming, the engine runs beautifully in both forwards and reverse with well-defined, square exhaust beats. It notches up in either direction; the injector picks up reliably and proved efficient in operation.

We're impressed with this one - a beautifully made and thoroughly sorted engine, in ex-works condition with less than two hours total running to date.

Built by the LMS at Crewe Works, No.5470 entered service in December 1938. It was renumbered 45470 at nationalisation in 1948. Previously allocated to Perth (29A), with subsequent shed allocations were all North of the border and included Inverness (60A) in 1961, Ardrossan (67D) in 1962 and, finally, Corkerhill (67A) later that same year. Withdrawn in September 1964, it was scrapped in the following December.