Last weekend of the Caprotti Standard

[kevsmiththai]

Having had a good couple of days the Barrow Hill 'Ticket to ride' steam gala gala on the Thursday and Friday I headed off to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley in Derbyshire hunting endangered big game! I was after the unique, sole surviving Caprotti valve geared Standard Five 4-6-0 no 73129 in action before its boiler ticket expired and it was withdrawn from service,

 

The Locomotive was part of the last batch of thirty steam locomotives built at Derby Works in 1956.

 

 

This engine was a long term restoration from being purchased from Barry Scrap yard in 1972 and it was stored outside cosmetically restored for a long time

 

 

Restoration did not start in earnest until 1993 and it was 2005 before it entered full traffic on the line

 

 

The weather on Saturday was beautiful and the distinctive sharp beat of the poppet valves could be heard echoing around even if the loco was not being worked particularly hard

 

more in a minute

[kevsmiththai]

close up of the  cam boxes

 

 

and the drive shafts

 

 

Video show the loco in action at Butterley and Swanwick as the sole motive power that day

 

https://youtu.be/qtlbkbOuDog

 

cheers

 

Kev