A superb portrait of BR-built 'Caprotti Black 5' 44687 in the yard outside the paintshops at Crewe Works. It would be interesting to know if the complexities of Caprotti valve gear, the training of shed and footplate personnel in its use and the requirement to keep spares readily avaiable at convenient locations was... worth the potential benefits? Ex-LMS 'Jubilee' 45721 'Impregnable' is seen adjacent. Photo dated September 1955

© Ken Widd. Steve Armitage Collection